Help needed to hatch Great Bustards in Wiltshire again
12:00pm Thursday 26th January 2012 in Latest News
David Waters, founder of the Great Bustard Group, with a young bustard in Russia. The group needs new funding to continue its work
A group working to return the great bustard to its former ranges on Salisbury Plain is appealing for funds to help it move to the next stage in its programme.
The Great Bustard Group, which has a release centre on Salisbury Plain near Pewsey, has been importing chicks of varying ages from the Saratov region of Russia for the past seven years.
But it wants to bring in fertile eggs from abandoned nests on the Russian Steppes to avoid putting the young birds through a 3,000-mile journey.
Suzy Elkins, of the group, said: “Getting to this point has taken a great deal of work from the GBG team and its partners.
“Great bustards remain enigmatic birds – their often complex behaviour continues to be monitored and analysed to gain a better understanding of them.
“Hatching eggs in the UK presents an effective way to reduce the stress of transporting the birds and acclimatising them to the Wiltshire countryside.
“One of the most significant barriers to releasing healthy birds is damage to flight feathers, often caused or exacerbated by containment in enclosed spaces. By rearing the birds in the UK, time spent in enclosed spaces can be minimised, as can contact with humans.”
But the necessary equipment to incubate the eggs and rear the chicks is estimated at £10,000, so the group has launched an appeal.
Miss Elkins said: “There are lots of ways to donate to the project quickly and simply.
Anyone with a credit or debit card can donate securely using PayPal on our website or make a donation on our Just Giving page. Links to these can be found at greatbustard.org/appeal.”
A donation of £10 will help rescue an endangered egg from the Russian Steppes, £40 will rear a chick in its first weeks of life, while £600 will help purchase a portable incubator.
Donations by cheque can be made out the Great Bustard Group and sent to 1 Down Barn Close, Winterbourne Gunner, Salisbury SP4 6JP.
The great bustard, thought to be the world’s heaviest flying bird, was hunted to extinction in the UK in 1832.
There have been attempts at captive breeding programmes before but they were unsuccessful.
In 2009 one of the reintroduced female great bustards was seen incubating eggs on Salisbury Plain with two chicks later seen being fed. A day later another female was seen feeding a chick.
It is not known how many chicks survived to maturity.
