Project Great Indian Bustard shrugs off one lost bird, next batch to be released soon

Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB) officials have reassured that the process of releasing captive-bred birds into Rajasthan’s Desert National Park will proceed as planned, despite one bird being found dead near a desert fox den. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released four GIBs in October, with another batch set to be introduced soon.

Project lead scientist Sutirtha Dutta explained that releasing birds of around six months old, when they reach 70-75% of their adult size and have gained flight capability, improves their chances of survival. However, desert fox predation remains a concern as these young GIBs are still vulnerable to ground-based predators. Despite setbacks faced by Saudi Arabia's similar Houbara bustard conservation project in 1990s, India's GIB project has released 86 captive-bred birds with realistic targets of up to 30 birds annually, aiming to boost the wild population currently estimated at around 130.