Great Indian Bustard chick born in Gujarat after a decade through jumpstart approach: Environment Minister

A Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick was born in Gujarat’s Kutch after a decade through the the jumpstart approach, a novel conservation initiative, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced on Saturday (March 28, 2026).

This is the first such inter-State initiative in the country. Execution of the initiative in Gujarat, which had no possibility of having a fertile egg with only three female GIBs surviving in the grasslands of Kutch, took an arduous 770-kilometre-long, halt-free road journey to transport an incubated egg.

In a major trans-State conservation effort, a captive-bred GIB egg from the conservation breeding programme in Rajasthan was transported by road for over 19 hours in a handheld portable incubator and was successfully replaced in the nest of a female GIB on March 22. The female GIB, which was tagged in August 2025, had earlier laid an infertile egg.

The female completed the incubation of the fertile egg and the chick successfully hatched on March 26, the Minister said. The field monitoring team is observing the young chick being reared by its foster mother in its natural habitat. Mr. Yadav described this as a significant achievement in the recovery of the critically endangered species.

The jumpstart effort, coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the State Forest Departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and the Wildlife Institute of India was planned a year back.

The Project GIB, envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2011 to conserve the Great Indian Bustard in its natural habitats, including Gujarat, was formally launched in 2016. The project has been making steady progress in strengthening conservation and recovery efforts for the species, Mr. Yadav noted in a social media post.

The Minister informed that the number of birds in conservation breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra in Rajasthan has reached 73, with the addition of five new chicks during the current breeding season. He added that India is now moving ahead towards the rewilding of birds as part of long-term conservation planning.

Mr. Yadav stated that this effort is among several steps being taken to revive GIB populations and reflects India’s strong commitment to wildlife conservation. He congratulated all scientists, field officers, and wildlife enthusiasts involved in the effort and expressed hope for the survival of the chick, stating that the government remains committed to leaving no stone unturned to make the conservation endeavour successful.