Ten Captive-Bred Great Indian Bustards to Be Released in Jaisalmer on Oct 3-4
At least two captive-bred chicks will be radio-tagged and monitored as Project GIB begins its rewilding phase, officials said.
- On Sunday, October 4, 2026, Rajasthan officials launched the 'rewilding' phase of Project GIB with a pilot release of two captive-bred Great Indian Bustard chicks in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.
- With fewer than 150 Great Indian Bustards remaining in the wild, the Wildlife Institute of India has bred at least 98 birds in captivity since 2019 to bolster the population.
- Chief Wildlife Warden K C A Arun Prasad of the Rajasthan Forest Department said the two male chicks, aged four to six months, will be radio-tagged to monitor movement, facing a survival rate of between 10-30%.
- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma are expected to preside over the release, which is timed with the end of monsoon to maximize insect food for the chicks.
- The species faces ongoing threats from power line collisions, though the Supreme Court has ordered that renewable energy project power lines outside DNP be buried by December 2027.
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Rajasthan takes next step in Great Indian Bustard conservation with release of two captive-bred birds - The Canadian Media
Jaiselmer/IBNS-CMEDIA: India released two captive-bred male Great Indian Bustards into the wild at Sam in the Desert National Park on Saturday, a step officials described as a turning point in efforts to save the critically endangered bird from extinction. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav carried out the release, with Rajasthan's
Great Indian Bustard Receives New Opportunity After Release into Wild
The Great Indian Bustard (GIB), once spread widely across India from Punjab to Tamil Nadu, is now critically endangered, with estimates suggesting fewer than 150 individuals remain in the wild. This situation has prompted significant conservation efforts, culminating in the recent release of two captive-bred GIBs at Desert National Park in Sam, Jaisalmer. This event […]
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Sunday released two male Great Indian Bustard birds into the wild in the same area of the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. On this occasion, Rajasthan's Minister of State for Forest and Environment Sanjay Sharma along with officials from the central and state governments were present […] The post Major conservation initiative in Jaisalmer, two male Great Indian…
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