Kadapa: NGO plans research on Jerdon’s Courser

Kadapa: Non-governmental organisation—Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE) is conducting a research on Jerdon’s Courser in Lankamala reserve forest.

The research team is fixing sound recorders and cameras in the forest. The Jerdon’s Courser is a bird specie and is classified as critically endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature. It was discovered in Eastern Ghats in 1848 in Kadapa-Nellore area forest.

The bird was named  Jerdon’s Courser after it was discovered by British soldiers’ doctor T. Jerdon.

A century later, in 1986, it was sighted again near Reddipalli village, Kadapa district. The site where it was rediscovered was designated as the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary. Since then 30 years have passed but this bird has not been found again.

Since 2002, research on the Jerdon’s Courser and its habitat has been conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) along with Royal Society for the protection of Birds (RSPB) and the AP forest department.

The BNHS researcher Jagannadhan had arranged for voice recorders to be placed in the forests. He worked with the help of Siddhavatam forest range officers and continued his search up to 2008. Till then there was no other activity by any other research organisation.

At present the ATREE research team is investigating on this.

The ATREE researchers' team started their work on a trial basis last month. Under the guidance of Siddavatam forest range officer Prasad, the research team coordinator M. B. Prashanth and three other members Yogesh, Aravind, Dr Ganesh set up the sound recorders and cameras in the forest. The forest department is providing logistics and support to the team.

This bird was listed among the 50 rarest birds of the world. But sadly the number is diminishing and in a bid to save it from extinction, the Indian government has now included it in its Integrated Development of Wildlife habitats (IDWH) Scheme.