The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has announced a significant milestone in the conservation program for the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard. In October 2026, four male birds were released into the wild at Desert National Park near Sam village in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, representing a transition from captive breeding to active rewilding efforts.
The conservation program began in 2016 with an initial outlay of ₹33.85 crore for five years, which achieved establishing breeding facilities at Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer, securing founder populations, commencing captive breeding, and advancing ecological research. A major milestone was reached in March 2023 when the first captive-bred chick hatched at the Sam Conservation Breeding Centre.
In December 2024, National CAMPA approved an additional ₹77.05 crore for a five-year Conservation Action Plan covering both the Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican. This funding supports population surveys, artificial insemination techniques, habitat improvement, predator protection, community participation, conservation awareness, and telemetry tracking.
By October 2026, the program has built a captive population of 96 birds, comprising 40 from wild-origin eggs and 56 bred in captivity. Of these, 86 are maintained for captive reproduction while 10 have been earmarked for wild release. The breeding program has accelerated significantly, producing 24 live chicks in 2025 and 29 in 2026.
The program developed innovative techniques including the "Jumpstart Approach" where a viable egg from the Rajasthan breeding center was transported 770 km to Gujarat and placed in a wild female's nest, resulting in successful hatching and fostering. This approach has produced six chicks in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat.
Infrastructure development includes a dedicated Rewilding Aviary at Ramdevra measuring 160m × 64m × 14m to prepare birds for wild conditions, approximately 200 square kilometers of fenced grassland enclosures within Desert National Park, and soft-release facilities in both Rajasthan and Gujarat (near Naliya) to support gradual acclimatization.
The Great Indian Bustard has suffered a 75% population decline over 30 years according to Wildlife Institute of India's 2016-17 report, primarily due to habitat loss and human-induced pressures, compounded by the bird's slow reproductive rate that complicates natural recovery efforts.