"Two Captive-Bred Great Indian Bustards Released Into the Wild"
Great Indian Bustard (GIB)
Critically Endangered heavy-bodied bird, state bird of Rajasthan, with fewer than 150 wild individuals remaining.
Project GIB / Bustard Recovery Programme
Government initiative since 2013 for GIB conservation through captive breeding, habitat restoration and threat mitigation.
The Great Indian Bustard (GIB), locally called godawan, is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world and the state bird of Rajasthan. It holds the highest protection available under Indian law, listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Internationally, it appears in Appendix I of CITES and is classified Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Fewer than 150 individuals survive in the wild today. Almost all of them live in the grasslands and scrublands of western Rajasthan, with small residual populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Conservation of the species also draws on Article 48A of the Constitution, which directs the State to protect forests and wildlife.
The bird's primary stronghold is Desert National Park (DNP), which spans Jaisalmer and Barmer districts in Rajasthan. Unlike most protected areas, DNP has human habitation and traditional livestock grazing within its boundaries. This has shaped the conservation approach around coexistence rather than exclusion. The grasslands here also serve as an important stopover for birds using the Central Asian Flyway, a migratory corridor linking Arctic breeding grounds with wintering areas across roughly 30 countries in South Asia and beyond. Protecting GIB habitat therefore has implications for many other species as well.
The single largest cause of adult GIB mortality is collision with overhead power lines. The bird is heavy-bodied with frontal-set eyes, making it poor at detecting wires while in flight. This problem has grown as solar and wind energy installations have expanded across its desert range. In response, the Supreme Court in M.K. Ranjitsinh vs Union of India (2021) directed authorities to bury overhead power lines in GIB priority habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat, or fit them with bird diverters. A December 2027 deadline applies to undergrounding lines in areas outside DNP.
The Bustard Recovery Programme, also known as Project GIB, is a joint initiative of the Union Environment Ministry, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). It receives technical support from the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and funding through National CAMPA. The programme has been implemented since 2013 and rests on four linked strands: conservation breeding, habitat restoration, threat mitigation and community engagement.
Conservation breeding is the programme's most intensive component. WII established two breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer district. Since 2019, eggs collected from the wild have been artificially incubated and chicks hand-reared in controlled conditions. These captive-reared birds later breed in captivity, building a founder population large enough to support eventual releases into the wild. …
With reference to India's 'Desert National Park', which of the following statements are correct?
1.It is spread over two districts.
2.There is no human habitation inside the Park.
3.It is one of the natural habitats of 'Great Indian Bustard'.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Which one of the following groups of animals belongs to the category of endangered species?
With reference to Desert National Park, consider the following statements: 1. It is spread across the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan. 2. It has no human habitation within its boundaries. 3. It contains fenced grassland enclosures developed as breeding habitat for the Great Indian Bustard. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Great Indian Bustard is accorded protection under which Schedule of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972?
Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court's directions on Great Indian Bustard conservation: 1. The Court directed undergrounding or diverter-fitting of power lines in the bird's priority habitats. 2. A deadline of December 2027 has been set for undergrounding lines outside Desert National Park. 3. Power-line collision is currently the leading cause of adult Great Indian Bustard mortality. How many of the above statements are correct?
Match List-I (Organisation) with List-II (Role in the Bustard Recovery Programme) and select the correct answer using the code given below: List-I:
A.Wildlife Institute of India
B.International Fund for Houbara Conservation
C.National CAMPA
D.Rajasthan Forest Department; List-II:
1.Habitat restoration and grassland enclosure management
2.Funding support
3.Captive breeding research and monitoring
4.Technical collaboration
The 'jumpstart' technique used in Great Indian Bustard conservation refers to which of the following?
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