First Captive-Bred Great Indian Bustards Released Into the Wild in Rajasthan
On 4 October 2026, two male Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) bred in captivity were released into the wild in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) led the release.
This is the first time that captive-bred GIBs have been released into their natural habitat. The birds were let out in the Sudasari range of the Desert National Park.
Both birds carry tracking tags, so scientists can follow their movements and survival. What they learn will guide decisions on future releases.
The release comes after nearly a decade of work under a conservation breeding project run by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) with the Rajasthan Forest Department, which began in 2016.
The two breeding centres, at Sam (set up in 2019) and Ramdevra (2022) in Rajasthan, now hold 97 birds: 40 hatched from eggs collected in the wild and 57 bred in captivity.
The release marks a shift in the programme: from building a safe captive population to rewilding, that is, adding birds back to the wild population.
Great Indian Bustard (GIB)
The Great Indian Bustard is a large, tall bird of open grasslands and dry scrublands, and one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. It is India's most threatened bird. Fewer than 150 survive in the wild, almost all of them in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, with tiny numbers in Gujarat. Because a female usually lays just one egg at a time, the population cannot bounce back quickly.
The release of two captive-bred males is the first real test of whether birds raised in the breeding centres can survive and live normally in the wild. If they do, more releases can steadily add to the very small wild population.
In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation
There are two basic ways to save a plant or animal species from dying out. In situ conservation means protecting the species in its natural home, for example by protecting a forest or grassland so that the animals living there are safe. Ex situ conservation means protecting the species outside its natural home, for example in a zoo, a breeding centre, a botanical garden or a seed bank. In situ is Latin for "in place"; ex situ means "out of place".
The GIB release is a textbook example of ex situ conservation feeding back into in situ conservation. Eggs collected from the wild were hatched and raised at the Sam and Ramdevra centres (ex situ), and now captive-bred birds are being returned to the Desert National Park (in situ). Their tracking data will show whether this "insurance population" can truly rebuild the wild one.
Desert National Park
Desert National Park is a large protected area in the Thar Desert of western Rajasthan, spread over the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts. It covers about 3,162 sq km and is one of the largest protected areas in India. Its sand dunes, rocky land and dry grasslands are the last major stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard. Fenced enclosures inside the park keep out grazing animals and predators so that GIBs can breed safely.
The Desert National Park was chosen as the release site because it still holds the main wild GIB population and has protected grassland enclosures. The released males can therefore meet wild birds and, if they survive, join the breeding population.
- Release date: 4 October 2026; two male captive-bred GIBs; first-ever release of captive-bred GIBs into the wild
- Release site: Sudasari range, Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
- Breeding project: started 2016; led by the Wildlife Institute of India with the Rajasthan Forest Department and MoEFCC
- Breeding centres: Sam (2019) and Ramdevra (2022), Rajasthan
- Captive population: 97 birds (40 from wild-laid eggs, 57 bred in captivity)
- GIB status: IUCN Critically Endangered; Wildlife (Protection) Act Schedule I; fewer than 150 in the wild
- Desert National Park: about 3,162 sq km