Indian conservationists accelerate rewilding of great Indian Bustard

Authorities in Rajasthan and Gujarat have begun rewilding the great Indian bustard, a large ground-dwelling bird, following a successful captive breeding program.

In October, officials released four captive-bred birds into the Desert National Park in Rajasthan. One bird died shortly after release due to a desert fox, but scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India state that such losses are expected during the rewilding process. The project uses a Jumpstart Approach to restore the bird population.

This method involves transporting eggs from a breeding center in Rajasthan to Gujarat, where wild female birds incubate and raise the chicks. While a chick hatched in Kutch, Gujarat, earlier this year went missing in April and was presumed predated. In response, the Gujarat state government increased habitat protection and predator management. The program has moved faster than expected because its captive breeding survival rate reached 80%, which is higher than the 48% average seen in international programs.

This success allowed the project to move into the rewilding phase in eight years rather than the original 15-year target. Scientists plan to release more birds in November and December once they reach the required age of five to six months. Some critics have questioned the transparency of the government project and the safety of the released birds. A wildlife biologist from GGS Indraprastha University raised concerns about how predators enter predator-proof enclosures and questioned the relocation of desert foxes.

Scientists responded that fox translocation only affects less than 1% of the 3,100 square kilometer park and is a court-approved practice to protect wild eggs from high predator numbers.