Jaisalmer: India’s captive breeding programme for the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) has produced 98 chicks at conservation centres in Sam and Ramdevra in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district, marking a key milestone in the species’ conservation efforts.The progress of the project was reviewed during the 91st meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Thursday.Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupender Yadav, in a post on X, said the project is now preparing to enter the rewilding phase, under which captive-bred birds will be released into their natural habitat after scientific preparations.According to the minister, infrastructure, monitoring systems and management protocols are being put in place to improve the survival of the birds after their release.Yadav also lauded the efforts of the Wildlife Institute of India and the forest departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat for implementing the conservation programme.He said the second “jump-start” intervention at Naliya in Gujarat was also successful. A Great Indian Bustard chick hatched under the programme on May 21, 2026, has crossed the critical 40-day survival period.The Great Indian Bustard is among the world’s most endangered bird species, with Rajasthan remaining its last major natural habitat.
