With an aim to enhance their population, the Chattbir Zoo will soon breed the Shaheen Falcon, popularly known as baaz. The number of these endangered birds has been on the decline mainly due to consumption of DDT-infested preys. The bird is revered by the Sikh community as a prized possession of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of the Sikhs. This is for the first time in the country that the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has approved such a project. "The CZA had identified 63 species of birds and animals which required immediate attention from the conservation point of view. Following this, different birds and animals were allotted to different zoos. Chattbir Zoo has been made the coordinating zoo for Falcons' breeding programme primarily keeping in mind the bird's historical importance to the Sikh community,' said Dharminder Sharma, field director, Chattbir Zoo. Sources said that the technical committee of the CZA, headed by Wildlife Additional Director General M B Lal of the Environment Ministry, cleared Rs 56 lakh for the first phase of the project in its recent meeting. Sharma added, "We have already identified two acres of land where special enclosures will be constructed for the breeding of the Falcons. Special classes for training and handling of the bird will also be conducted. Initially, we plan to get birds from the zoos in Jaipur and Dubai.'