The Great Indian Bustard, once a contender for the status of the national bird, is now critically endangered. Can captive breeding program turn the tide in Rajasthan?
Jaipur,date of issue: December 12, 2022 , Updates: December 2, 2022 19:18 IST
Left: Three Great Indian Bustard chicks at the Ramdevra Bonded Breeding Center
TeaTwo temperature-controlled shelters in Rajasthan, about 170 km apart – one near the famous mound of Sam and the other next to Pokhran – home to 23 Great Indian Bustard (GiB) chicks. They have never seen the outside world and will never be released. Scientists have hatched them from eggs kept in captivity and will wait for their breeding. The chicks of the ‘founding population’, as they are called, will then be released into the wild. For the critically endangered GIB, it is a matter of life and death, and much depends on the success of the project.