Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced on Sunday, 14 June 2026 that Project GIB — India's captive breeding programme for the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard — has added three new chicks in the past couple of days, bringing the total captive stock to 94 birds.

In his post on X, the Minister detailed the cumulative progress in the programme's fourth year: 26 chicks have hatched so far, comprising 18 through artificial insemination, 4 through natural breeding, and 4 from wild-collected eggs. The three latest additions came from one wild-collected and two captive-laid eggs.

Context

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is one of the world's most endangered birds, with its wild population confined largely to arid grasslands in Rajasthan. Decades of habitat loss, collision with power lines, and predation have driven numbers to critically low levels, prompting the government to intervene with an ex-situ conservation strategy.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the Great Indian Bustard Recovery Plan under the Wildlife Protection Act in 2012. The dedicated conservation breeding centre, established around 2022 in partnership with the Rajasthan government, has since become the operational hub for the species' recovery.

Policy Backdrop

A distinctive feature of Project GIB is its 'egg exchange' or 'jumpstart' intervention: wild eggs are collected and incubated at the facility, while captive-bred chicks are simultaneously placed in wild nests to hatch under natural conditions. According to the Minister's post, 3 chicks have hatched in the wild in Rajasthan through this jumpstart method, aimed at improving founder genetic diversity and reducing predation risk.

The use of artificial insemination — accounting for 18 of the 26 chicks hatched — reflects the programme's reliance on advanced reproductive technologies to overcome the species' notoriously low natural breeding rate in captivity. This approach mirrors techniques used in global recovery efforts for other critically endangered birds.

India's GIB programme also feeds into the country's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and its national species recovery targets, positioning the effort within a broader multilateral conservation framework.

Stakeholders and Impact

The programme's primary partners include the Rajasthan Forest Department, conservation biologists, and wildlife veterinarians who manage the breeding centre. Their work spans egg incubation, chick rearing, genetic record-keeping, and field monitoring of wild nests where jumpstart chicks are placed.

For local communities in Rajasthan's grassland districts, the GIB's survival is tied to the health of the same ecosystems that support pastoral livelihoods. A successful captive breeding and eventual release programme could reinforce habitat protection efforts in areas such as the Desert National Park and surrounding landscapes.

What's Next

Minister Yadav noted that more chicks are expected this season, suggesting the breeding cycle is still active as of mid-June 2026. With the captive stock now at 94 birds, conservationists and the National Board for Wildlife will be watching closely for the next milestone: planned releases of captive-bred individuals into protected wild habitats in Rajasthan.

The trajectory of Project GIB — from a fledgling facility to a stock of nearly 100 birds in four years — will be a key test of whether India's ex-situ conservation model can translate laboratory-scale success into a self-sustaining wild population for one of its most iconic grassland species.