Cash boost for Great Bustards (From This Is Wiltshire)

Cash boost for Great Bustards

11:20am Monday 24th November 2008 in Latest News By Katie Adams

STUDENTS from Wiltshire College have been busy raising money to ensure the survival of the Great Bustard in the county.

More than £700 was raised by the Lackham based second year pupils on the Foundation Degree Animal Science and Management Course for the Great Bustard Group, which is based on Salisbury Plain.

Fundraising events included a sponsored dog walk and a stall at the college’s annual lambing weekend before the students were able to hand over a cheque to David Waters, director of the group, and meet Fergus, a Great Bustard, last Thursday.

Mr Waters explained that the money went towards helping the group pay for a new Land Rover to allow them to drive up to visit the birds and take groups out to see them too.

He said: “A vehicle like that is far less disruptive than people going up to the site on foot to see the Bustards and it means we can go up and see how they are doing.”

“The support of the students from Lackham has been a real boost to the Great Bustard Project and it is very fitting that Wiltshire College is supporting Wiltshire’s county bird in this way.”

The Great Bustard, which is the county bird of Wiltshire was reintroduced to the UK after an absence of 178 years.

The first release was in 2004 and a small but stable population has been established on Salisbury Plain where breeding behaviour has also been noted among the birds.

Two of the students from the Wiltshire College course also carried out research in to the Great Bustard for their dissertation theses and the findings of these studies were also presented to Mr Waters.

Anyone interested in either joining the Great Bustard Group or booking a trip to visit the birds can call the group on 07817 971327 or visit www.greatbustard.com.