Great Indian Bustard on Brink: Intensive Conservation Efforts Clash with Rising Extinction Threat

Once commonly found across the dry grasslands and scrub habitats of India and Pakistan, the species is now largely confined to fragmented pockets, particularly in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan and parts of the India–Pakistan border zone. The bird is officially classified as “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to rapid population decline driven by habitat loss, hunting, and human interference.

The species has been historically protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 in India. Rajasthan, where the bird is the state avian symbol and primarily found in the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, launched the Great Indian Bustard Conservation Project on World Environment Day in 2013. The initiative focused on identifying breeding habitats within protected zones, fencing them for safety, and creating secure breeding enclosures outside protected areas.

In a major policy reference shared on social media platform X on March 28, 2026, India’s Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, stated that the concept of Project GIB was envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2011 in Gujarat and formally launched in 2016. He further noted that conservation breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevara in Rajasthan have increased the captive population to 73 birds, including five chicks born in the current breeding season. He also highlighted that the long-term plan includes reintroducing the species into its natural habitats in the near future.

Across the border in Pakistan, the species—locally known as “Bhakhar”—is found in the Cholistan Desert and nearby border ecosystems. Pakistan has established protected sanctuaries in Punjab’s border regions, including a dedicated Great Indian Bustard Wildlife Sanctuary. The country has imposed hunting bans and deployed monitoring systems along with community awareness programs to support conservation efforts.

Despite these initiatives, the global population of the Great Indian Bustard has collapsed dramatically. Estimates indicate that around 250 birds existed in 2011, which declined to nearly 150 by 2018. In Gujarat’s Kutch region, only three females reportedly remain, with natural reproduction nearly halted.

In an ambitious conservation experiment aimed at reviving the species, an egg from a breeding centre in Sam, Jaisalmer, was transported over approximately 770 kilometres in a portable incubator during a 19-hour continuous journey on March 21, 2026, to Naliya in Kutch. The egg was then placed into a wild nest using surrogate rearing and “jumpstart” techniques, marking a rare scientific intervention in avian conservation.

The chick hatched successfully on March 26, 2026, and was immediately placed under high-security protection. Gujarat authorities deployed around 50 security personnel, sealed access routes, and constructed observation towers for round-the-clock surveillance. Despite these measures, the chick vanished after April 18, when it was last observed with a GPS-tagged female Great Indian Bustard.

Forest department sources indicated possible lapses in the protection perimeter, with suspicion that predators such as dogs, jackals, or wild cats may have preyed on the 26-day-old chick. No remains have been recovered, and survival is considered highly unlikely.

Wildlife experts, including former director of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dr. M. K. Ranjitsinh, emphasized that reintroduction across historical habitats in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan is essential for long-term survival. He noted that while egg transfer and artificial hatching efforts were scientifically sound, future strategies must account for field-level risks to prevent similar losses.

Dr. Sumeet Dookia, a senior wildlife biologist and associate professor at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Delhi, stated that the loss of the chick reflects the harsh realities of natural ecosystems, where juvenile mortality rates are significantly higher than adults. He also highlighted the presence of multiple medium and small carnivores in the region as a major survival challenge.

The disappearance of the chick represents a significant setback for conservationists and underscores the fragile future of one of the world’s most endangered bird species, as both India and Pakistan intensify efforts to prevent its extinction.