New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday participated in the initial process to release two captive-bred Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) from the soft-release facility into the wild at the Desert National Park in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer.The critically endangered birds will be set free on Sunday, marking an important transition in India’s GIB conservation programme: moving from establishing a viable conservation-breeding population towards rewilding and augmenting the species in its natural habitat.
The programme is a collaborative initiative of the Union Environment Ministry, the Rajasthan forest department, and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
Currently, GIB facilities in Rajasthan’s Sam and Ramdevra house 97 birds, of which 40 originated from wild-laid eggs and 57 from those bred in captivity.
Of these, 86 birds are being maintained for captive reproduction, while 11 have been earmarked for release into the wild.
Captive reproduction resulted in 24 live chicks in 2025 and 29 in 2026. During his address at the event, Yadav highlighted how, under the efforts of the Union and Rajasthan governments, the GIB, a part of the Thar’s cultural heritage, has been brought back from the brink of extinction.
He noted the success of the conservation programme, highlighting its economic benefits to local communities through eco-tourism, and the ecological benefits of GIB conservation as the umbrella species of the Thar ecosystem.
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