With just one male left, the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is dangerously losing its fight against extinction. Locals and forest officials, that DNA talked to, confirmed that other than the lone male - a sub adult - they have not spotted a male GIB for almost two years now.

In the last census in 2016, the forest department had counted 25 birds in Gujarat, mostly in and around the GIB sanctuary in Kutch and at that point of time, four males had been recorded.

But since then, three have disappeared and environmentalists believe they most likely died in a collision with the power lines.

"During the mating season, you get a fair idea about the number of birds. But for the last one year or so, both locals and environmentalists have reported just one male GIBs. The other males are missing and it is safe to presume that they are dead for they would not stay hidden during the mating season," said an activist who has worked for the GIB cause.

With just one male GIB, the situation of the species has become even more precarious as the birds are by nature notoriously shy and breed once every two years.

Ahmed Hussain Sangar, a sarpanch of a village close to the GIB sanctuary in Kutch, confirmed that there is just one male left. "We haven't seen more than one male for a long time. Two females also recently died after a collision with a power line and these are just the official deaths," said Sangar.

A forest official, posted in Kutch, confirmed the activist claims. "Yeah, I fear we are left with just one male GIB. We don't have any confirmation of any other male other than the sub-adult. The battle to save the GIB was a difficult one but with just one male left, it is almost a lost cause. How can we look at even captive breeding if all that we have is just one male?" said the official.

Earlier, on August 2017, the Corbett Foundation, which has worked for GIB conservation, had written to the Wildlife Warden raising alarm about the absence of male in the lecking ground. A lecking ground is an area where male GIBs perform their courtship dance to attract the females. What set the alarms ringing is that GIB males, without fail, return to their lecking site during the mating season. In fact, the organisation had sought that the forest department carries out a survey of Abdasa, Mandvi and Lakhpat region to locate the missing males.

KS Randhawa, CCF, Kutch Circle, said that the GIB was a highly critically endangered species and the government was being proactive in its protection. Though he did not comment on the number of male birds, he said the GIB faces a host of challenges. "The state has allotted 7,000 hectares of land earmarked for the species. It also allocated 21,000 sq km of land as an eco-sensitive zone. We are also in talks with the power companies to take power lines underground and it is likely to happen by August," said Randhawa.

SAVING GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD