Written by PPL Newsroom• October 5, 2026• 12:04 pm• Nature & Wildlife

Two captive-bred Great Indian Bustards released at Rajasthan’s Desert National Park

The pilot release in Jaisalmer moves India’s bustard programme from breeding to rewilding; 97 birds are in care and 11 are earmarked for release.

Two male Great Indian Bustards were released at Sam Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on Sunday, 4 October. They are captive-bred birds, and their release is the first major step from breeding the species under human care to returning it to its natural habitat. The release matters because it tests whether birds raised in a conservation centre can adapt to life in the desert grasslands.

What happened and the numbers behind it

Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav initiated the release. A day earlier he had taken part in the initial process of moving the birds out of a soft-release facility. Reports differ slightly on the details of the final step. The Asianet/ANI report says the birds went into a designated enclosure. Yadav described this as a “Restricted-to-Humans” enclosure. Officials planned the release with limited human presence at the site to minimise disturbance.

The programme’s scale gives the release some context. The breeding facilities at Sam and Ramdevra hold 97 birds, according to the Press Information Bureau (PIB). Of these, 40 came from eggs collected in the wild and 57 were bred in captivity. Eighty-six are kept for breeding and 11 are set aside for release. Captive breeding produced 24 chicks in 2025 and 29 in 2026.

Eggs have also been moved in the other direction. Under an approach the PIB calls “Jumpstart”, eggs from the captive programme were placed in wild nests. Eight chicks hatched from them, six in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat.

A decade of groundwork

The recovery programme began in 2016 as a joint effort of the Union environment ministry, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Large-scale breeding in Rajasthan began in 2019, and the first captive-bred chick at the modern Ramdevra centre was born in March 2023. The International Fund for Houbara Conservation provides technical input, and National CAMPA provides funding.

Preparation for release included special training. Birds were trained in a purpose-built tunnel to reduce their dependence on humans and prepare them for open habitat. A new Rewilding Aviary at Ramdevra measures 160 metres by 64 metres by 14 metres. The Rajasthan Forest Department has also set up around 200 square kilometres of fenced grassland enclosures inside the Desert National Park.

What this means for India

The Great Indian Bustard is a Thar grassland species, and Jaisalmer holds the last breeding population of the species, according to a news report. The release is a pilot. Officials say the data from it will be used to refine protocols for future releases. The programme has also expanded to Gujarat, where a conservation and soft-release facility has been set up at Naliya in Kutch. The lasting test is whether these birds survive in the wild, not the number released.

What happens next

The next phase is monitoring. Yadav said the two birds will be watched for their behaviour and diet to confirm they are adjusting to the ecosystem. The birds are tagged, and officials plan to track movement, habitat use, adaptation and survival after release. Pre-release reports spoke of up to ten birds. WII scientists were to decide through a final technical assessment how many would enter open habitat directly. Officials have so far confirmed only the two males released on Sunday.

Yadav said the effort had taken years of patience. “After 9 years of dedicated effort, we have arrived at this glorious moment of rewilding them,” he told ANI.