India Releases Captive-Bred Great Indian Bustards into Wild for Survival Experiment

On Sunday morning, two male Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) were released into the desert at Sam in Rajasthan’s Desert National Park by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. This landmark event marks a new phase in India’s nearly decade-long effort to conserve the critically endangered species. These GIBs, locally known as Godawan, were not rescued from the wild but were raised through India’s conservation-breeding programme at facilities in Jaisalmer, representing the first major test of returning captive-bred birds to their natural habitat.

The journey to this release began in 2019, when eggs collected from wild GIB nests were artificially incubated and the chicks hand-reared. This programme saw a significant milestone in March 2023, with the first recorded instance of GIBs breeding in captivity, when a chick hatched from an artificially incubated egg laid by captive birds. The Ramdevra and Sam facilities now house 97 GIBs; 40 originated from eggs collected from the wild, while 57 were bred in captivity. Of these, 86 are retained for captive reproduction, and 11 have been earmarked for eventual release, following the production of 24 live chicks in 2025 and another 29 in 2026.

Preparing these birds for the wild involves a meticulous process. Dr Tushna Karkariya, Lead Veterinarian with Project Great Indian Bustard at WII, explained that young birds require close monitoring, staying with their mothers for about four to five months. Only after their growth and muscle development are satisfactory are they radio-tagged and considered for release. A new rewilding aviary at Ramdevra serves as an intermediate space, a large, pillar-less structure designed to allow birds to strengthen flight muscles and adapt to conditions closer to the wild, part of a “soft release” strategy. The two released GIBs were fitted with satellite tags to track their movements, habitat use, and adaptation, effectively becoming part of a field experiment.

While the release is a major step, the question of whether human-bred birds can thrive independently remains. Dr Karkariya noted that initial mortality rates might be high, but success rates typically improve as birds adapt to challenges like predation and finding food. Alongside the breeding efforts, the Rajasthan Forest Department has been restoring approximately 200 sq km of fenced grassland enclosures within the Desert National Park, identified as prime breeding habitat through WII’s long-term telemetry studies. Minister Yadav praised the dedication of scientists like Dr Sutirtha Dutta, Dr Tushna Karkariya, and Hrishika Sharma, whose emotional response at the release highlighted the culmination of nearly a decade of unwavering effort to ensure the GIB reclaims the deserts of Rajasthan.

Why it matters: This initiative offers a vital second chance for a critically endangered species to thrive in its natural habitat.

Editor's note: Comprehensive coverage of the release, the breeding program statistics, and the scientific context provided in the source.