JAISALMER: Rajasthan is set to mark a major conservation milestone Sunday, with the planned release of two captive-bred Great Indian Bustards (GIB), locally known as the Godawan, into Desert National Park (DNP) under Project GIB Rewilding.Union environment and forest minister Bhupender Yadav, on a two-day visit to Jaisalmer, is scheduled to inaugurate a newly constructed rewilding tunnel at the GIB Breeding and Conservation Centre in Ramdevra and review progress of the programme, officials said. DNP district forest officer Chandrapal Singh Chauhan said the minister, scheduled to reach Ramdevra Saturday, will also take feedback from scientists and field staff.The two birds were bred from eggs under the artificial conservation breeding programme at Wildlife Institute of India’s GIB Breeding and Conservation Centre at Sudasari inside DNP. Ahead of release, both birds will be fitted with satellite tags, with their movements, habitat use and survival monitored through satellite-based tracking.WII Director Govind Sagar Bhardwaj said Sunday’s release will be the first experimental release of captive-bred GIBs into their natural habitat, with tracking data used to assess movement areas and habitat preferences.The event is expected to be attended by Rajasthan forest minister Sanjay Sharma, WII leadership, senior state forest department officials and wildlife experts.Officials said the Ramdevra rewilding tunnel, built at a cost of around Rs 9 crore, is designed to provide a naturalistic environment with minimal human interference to prepare captive-bred bustards for release. Three young GIB chicks are currently undergoing training inside the tunnel under strict protocols supervised by WII experts, and two of them are scheduled for release Sunday.Chauhan said the release from Sam-Sudasari breeding centre into DNP will be a key milestone for Project GIB, adding that 99 GIBs are currently housed at the breeding and conservation centres at Sudasari and Ramdevra.The experimental release is being conducted under WII’s scientific supervision to evaluate whether captive-bred birds can successfully adapt to wild conditions and help rebuild a viable population of the critically endangered, Schedule-I protected species in the Thar desert.
