Gujarat to Receive Four Great Indian Bustard Chicks from Rajasthan

Kutch: Gujarat is set to receive four Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chicks from Rajasthan next month, in a major boost to efforts to revive the critically endangered species in Kutch, a TOI report said.

The relocation, involving two male and two female chicks, will increase Gujarat’s GIB population to eight. The arrival of the males is particularly significant as the state currently has only three adult female bustards in Kutch’s Naliya grasslands and has lacked a male GIB since December 2018.

The development comes nearly six months after Gujarat recorded a breakthrough under its ‘jump-start’ conservation initiative, when a male GIB chick hatched in Kutch on May 21 from an egg transported from Rajasthan and placed in the nest of a wild female.

The four incoming chicks will be housed at a newly inaugurated soft-release centre in Naliya for four to five months before authorities consider releasing them into the wild. The facility has been developed according to Wildlife Institute of India guidelines, with measures to minimise human contact and preserve the birds’ natural survival instincts.

Meanwhile, the forest department is restoring around 11 sq km of grassland affected by invasive Prosopis juliflora and has installed 30 km of predator-proof fencing to protect nearly 15 sq km.

Officials hope the male chick born in May 2026 will attain breeding maturity by May 2029, potentially paving the way for natural breeding and the revival of the species in Gujarat’s grasslands. DeshGujarat