Death of two birds hinders Great Indian Bustard restoration campaign

One of the birds released under the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) restoration campaign in Rajasthan's Desert National Park has died, posing a challenge to the project. According to a Mongabay-India report, as a significant phase of Project Great Indian Bustard, four captive-bred birds were released into the wild in early October. However, one of these four birds was found dead on October 17. Preliminary investigations suggest the bird died a day earlier after being preyed upon by a desert fox.

Authorities do not consider this incident a major setback for the project. Sutirtha Datta, Chief Scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, told Mongabay-India that when birds are reintroduced into the wild, there is always a possibility of death due to predation, starvation, or risks from existing infrastructure.

Another incident occurred in this project earlier this year. In March, a Great Indian Bustard chick was spotted in the wild in Kutch, Gujarat. This chick had hatched from a fertile egg brought from the Conservation Breeding Centre at Sam in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. However, the chick suddenly disappeared in April, and despite searches by forest department officials, it was not found. Officials suspected the chick had also been preyed upon, although no remains were recovered. Following this incident, the Gujarat government strengthened measures such as fencing to protect the birds' habitat and the management of predatory animals.

The process carried out in Kutch was part of the 'jumpstart approach'. The aim of this campaign was to re-establish the Great Indian Bustard population in Gujarat, as the state was previously a widespread range for these birds. In this method, eggs are brought from the captive-breeding programme in Rajasthan, and wild female bustards in Gujarat are prepared to brood the eggs and raise the chicks.

According to scientist Sutirtha Datta, the survival rate of captive-bred birds in bustard breeding and release programmes is generally a maximum of 30%. He added that if they release 30 birds in a year and 10 of them survive to become part of the wild population, it would still be considered a significant contribution to the current estimated population of 40 birds in the Desert National Park. The probability of death is higher at the egg or small chick stage in the wild. The survival rate of bustard eggs in the wild is only 18%.

The primary objective of this project was to overcome challenges faced in early life. The project began with an established population of 40 birds at two conservation breeding centres in Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer. This population was developed by collecting eggs from the wild and raising chicks in captivity. Currently, there are about 100 birds in this captive-breeding programme. According to Sutirtha Datta, the project is now moving towards its next phase, 'rewilding'. The original target was 15 years, but the project reached this stage in just seven to eight years. Datta stated that while the survival rate in international bustard breeding programmes is recorded at approximately 48%, the Indian programme has recorded a survival rate of 80%, which allowed the timeline to be accelerated. However, there have been criticisms regarding the preparedness and transparency of the project.

The Great Indian Bustard is a rare species of bird. Various efforts are being made for the conservation of this species to save its declining population.