Source: DD News
Subject: Species in News
Context: Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Captive Breeding Programme has entered its fourth year with the hatching of two new chicks at the Conservation Breeding Centre in Rajasthan.
About Project Great Indian Bustard Captive Breeding Programme:
What it is?
- The captive breeding initiative is a critical insurance policy against the extinction of the GIB, managed through a partnership between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Rajasthan Forest Department, and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
Launched In: The broader Project Great Indian Bustard was launched by the Rajasthan government in 2013, while the dedicated conservation breeding facilities became fully operational around 2019–2022.
Aim: To build a self-sustaining captive population of GIBs and eventually reintroduce them into the wild to bolster their dwindling numbers.
Key Features:
- Scientific Breeding: Utilizes both natural mating and advanced techniques like artificial insemination.
- In-situ & Ex-situ Conservation: Combines habitat protection (In-situ) with breeding in controlled environments (Ex-situ).
- Soft Release Strategy: This year marks a shift toward soft releasing captive-bred birds—a process where birds are gradually acclimated to the wild in protected enclosures before full release.
- International Collaboration: Receives technical support from the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (Abu Dhabi).
About the Great Indian Bustard (GIB):
What it is?
- The Great Indian Bustard is a majestic bird, often called the flagship species of India’s grassland ecosystems. It is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world and serves as an umbrella species, meaning its protection ensures the survival of many other grassland creatures.
Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered (one step away from extinction in the wild).
- Wildlife Protection Act (1972): Schedule I (highest level of legal protection).
- CITES: Appendix I.
Habitat and Distribution:
- Habitat: Prefers dry, open grasslands and scrublands with low-intensity agriculture. It avoids irrigated and heavily forested areas.
- Distribution: Once found across the Indian subcontinent, it is now restricted to fragmented pockets in Rajasthan (specifically Desert National Park), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Rajasthan holds over 90% of the remaining wild population.
Key Characteristics:
- Physical Appearance: Large, ground-dwelling bird standing about 1 meter tall. It is distinguished by a black crown on its forehead, a pale neck, and a brownish body.
- Behavior: It is an omnivore, feeding on insects (like grasshoppers and beetles), rodents, reptiles, and seeds. It is a slow breeder, typically laying only one egg per year.
- State Bird: It is the official state bird of Rajasthan, where it is locally known as Godawan.
