A glimpse into the Bio diversity of the Little Rann of Kutch. Thanks to my friend Renu Singh Pandey and her husband Chhavi Nath Pandey, who retired as the Principal Chief Conservator of the Forests and the Head of the Forest Force in Gujarat that we could get to see the little Raan of Kutch and the bio diversity here on 26th December, 2018. . A unique eco system this is about 5000 km of desert which lies near the sea and is a desert region and due to the nearness of the sea the land is very seline. However, it also becomes a wet marshy land and a water logged land giving birth to its own unique flora and fauna. As soon as we finish crossing about 130 km we enter the desert area surrounded by Prosopes Juliflora trees that survive in this rugged plain. One could see a large number of Flemingoes, Cranes, Pelicans, Spoonbills. At some distance we could see a number Wild ass who are known by the local name of Ghudkar. A visit to the camp and the Information centre enriched our knowledge about the Rann of Kutch and we could get a lot of information on the birds, animals and vegetation of this area. A variety of local grass called seuda grows in the area and this is a very tasty grass with a pungent and salty taste and is the favourite food of the wild ass. The wild ass resembles a cross between the Horse, Zebra and the Ass and is very beautiful and majestic in looks. The setting sun looked beautiful as it disappeared into the horizon. This area also produces a lot of salt and the backwaters of the Raan of Kutch is the biggest breeding centre for prawns in the world. The evening was beautiful and one could hear the sound of silence across the desert with pin drop silence except occasional chirping of the birds. The vastness of the desert is to be seen to believe and one can easily get lost in this vastness.This visit will remain with me for a long time as this was an out of the world experience.
