📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Original: SVKMBFLY; this edit: MPF
Science
Two Captive‑Bred Great Indian Bustards Released into the Wild in India
✍️ Swarajya
🗓 04 Oct 2026, 04:36 PM
👁 10
Two male Great Indian Bustards bred in captivity were released back into their natural habitat, marking a significant step in the species’ conservation.
The Wildlife Institute of India announced that two male Great Indian Bustards, raised under a captive‑breeding programme, were set free in their native range this week. The birds, which belong to a critically endangered species with fewer than 200 individuals left in the wild, were transported to a protected grassland area where they were acclimatised before release.
Conservationists say the successful hand‑over from the breeding centre to the wild marks the first time male bustards have been reintroduced in this manner. The programme, which began a decade ago, aims to boost the dwindling population by supplementing wild numbers with genetically healthy individuals.
Officials highlighted that continuous monitoring will follow the release, using radio‑telemetry to track the birds’ movements and survival. The initiative is part of a broader effort involving habitat restoration, anti‑poaching measures, and community outreach to ensure long‑term viability of the species.
The release underscores India’s commitment to meeting its biodiversity targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and it offers a hopeful sign for other threatened grassland birds facing similar pressures.
Conservationists say the successful hand‑over from the breeding centre to the wild marks the first time male bustards have been reintroduced in this manner. The programme, which began a decade ago, aims to boost the dwindling population by supplementing wild numbers with genetically healthy individuals.
Officials highlighted that continuous monitoring will follow the release, using radio‑telemetry to track the birds’ movements and survival. The initiative is part of a broader effort involving habitat restoration, anti‑poaching measures, and community outreach to ensure long‑term viability of the species.
The release underscores India’s commitment to meeting its biodiversity targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and it offers a hopeful sign for other threatened grassland birds facing similar pressures.