Four Great Indian Bustards released in Rajasthan as conservation programme enters rewilding phase

Four male Great Indian Bustards were released into the wild at Desert National Park near Sam village in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district in October, according to a PIB backgrounder published on October 24. The birds are part of a group of 10 earmarked for release from conservation-breeding facilities at Sam and Ramdevra. The report does not say that all 10 have been released.

The development marks a transition from maintaining a conservation-breeding population towards testing how selected birds adapt to life in the wild. PIB says experience from these releases will help refine protocols for later releases. It does not establish that the critically endangered species has recovered or that the released birds' long-term survival is assured.

Preparation has included a rewilding aviary at Ramdevra, designed to let birds strengthen their flight muscles, adapt to natural conditions and display natural behaviour. A soft-release facility allows gradual acclimatisation before release, with human presence limited to reduce disturbance.

The backgrounder also describes a separate approach using eggs from the conservation-breeding programme to support wild nests. In Gujarat, a viable egg was transported from Sam to Naliya and placed in a wild female's nest; the chick hatched and was subsequently observed being raised by its foster mother. The report says this approach has produced six chicks in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat. These are distinct from the four male birds released in October.

Source: PIB Research backgrounder, October 24, 2026. KROV original English/Telugu adaptation of the official text; no photographs or third-party media reproduced.