**Executive Summary**
This report details the successful hatching of a Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick in Gujarat for the first time in a decade, achieved through a "Jumpstart Approach" involving the inter-state transport of a fertile egg. Coordinated by the MoEFCC, the Wildlife Institute of India, and the Forest Departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the project reached a milestone on March 26, 2026, when the chick hatched in the Kutch grasslands. The initiative highlights a significant step in the recovery of this critically endangered species, with the total population in breeding centres now reaching 73 birds.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**The Jumpstart Approach and Trans-state Execution**
* Executed as the first inter-state conservation initiative of its kind for the GIB in India.
* Involved transporting a fertile, captive-bred egg 770km from Sam, Rajasthan, to Naliya, Gujarat.
* Utilized a "halt-free corridor" and a handheld portable incubator during a 19-hour road journey to ensure egg viability.
* The fertile egg replaced an infertile egg laid by a tagged female in Kutch on March 22, where no male GIBs remain in the wild.
**Conservation Status and Breeding Milestones**
* The total number of birds in conservation breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra has reached 73.
* Five new chicks were added to the breeding centres during the current season.
* The project, envisioned in 2011 and launched in 2016, is moving toward a long-term goal of rewilding birds in the near future.
**Field Monitoring and Biological Success**
* The chick hatched successfully on March 26, 2026, after being incubated by its foster mother in its natural habitat.
* Field monitoring teams are currently observing the foster mother rearing the young chick to ensure its survival.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII)**
**Impact**
The success validates the "Jumpstart" model as a viable method for reviving populations of critically endangered species where natural breeding is no longer possible.
**Action Required**
Must continue to coordinate long-term conservation planning and oversee the transition toward the planned rewilding of birds.
**State Forest Departments (Rajasthan and Gujarat)**
**Impact**
The departments have demonstrated the capability to manage complex, time-sensitive logistical operations across state lines, such as the 19-hour halt-free corridor.
**Action Required**
Field officers in Gujarat must maintain intensive monitoring of the new chick and its foster mother to ensure survival in the wild.
**Conservation Breeding Centres (Sam and Ramdevra)**
**Impact**
These centres are now proven as critical reservoirs for the species, providing fertile eggs to supplement wild populations.
**Action Required**
Continue current breeding protocols to sustain the population of 73 birds and support future rewilding initiatives.
Key Entities Referenced
Project GIB: A conservation program launched in 2016 to strengthen recovery efforts and protect the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard in its natural habitats.
Jumpstart Approach: A novel inter-state conservation initiative involving the transportation of captive-bred fertile eggs to wild nests to facilitate population growth in the wild.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: The nodal union ministry overseeing the coordination of trans-state conservation efforts and the national breeding program for the Great Indian Bustard.
Wildlife Institute of India: The technical organization responsible for the scientific coordination and execution of the GIB conservation breeding and rewilding initiatives.
Rajasthan and Gujarat: The primary states comprising the geographical scope of the trans-state conservation effort, housing the breeding centers and essential natural habitats.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Trans-state Conservation Effort leads to
successful hatching of Great Indian Bustard
chick in Gujarat after a decade
GIB Numbers reach 73 in Conservation Breeding Centres;
Rewilding of Birds planned in near future: Shri Bhupender
Yadav
Posted On: 28 MAR 2026 1:46PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, today announced a
significant milestone in the conservation of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB). Gujarat
witnessed the birth of a chick after a decade, in Kutch, through a novel conservation measure known as
the Jumpstart Approach. The effort was planned a year back which was coordinated by the MoEFCC,
along with the State Forest Departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat and the Wildlife Institute of India.
This is the first inter-state jump start initiative of the GIB in the country, that was successfully executed in
Gujarat. It is important to mention that in Gujarat only three female GIBs are surviving in the grasslands
of Kutch, leaving no possibility of having a fertile egg in the wild. It took an arduous 770km road journey
to transport an incubated egg to the desired nesting site in Kutch, which was undertaken without a break
by creating a halt-free corridor from Sam (Rajasthan) to Naliya (Gujarat).
In the social media post, Shri Yadav noted that Project GIB was envisioned by Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi in 2011 to conserve the Great Indian Bustard in its natural habitats, including Gujarat, and
was formally launched in 2016. He stated that the project has been making steady progress in
strengthening conservation and recovery efforts for the species.
Gujarat sees a GIB chick after a decade, through a novel conservation measure -
the jumpstart approach, coordinated by the Ministry, State Forest Departments of
Rajasthan and Gujarat, and Wildlife Institute of India.
Envisioned by PM Shri @narendramodi ji in 2011 to conserve… pic.twitter.com/o
E2DYTZBUF
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) March 28, 2026
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 in the near future as part of long-
term conservation planning.Giving further details on the path-breaking initiative, the Minister said that the female GIB tagged in
August 2025 laid an infertile egg in Kutch, where the local population had lost all its males long ago. 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 on 22nd March.
The Minister stated that the female completed the incubation of the fertile egg and successfully hatched
the chick on 26th March, with the field monitoring team observing the young chick being reared by its
foster mother in its natural habitat. He described this as a significant achievement in the recovery of the
critically endangered species.
Shri Yadav stated that this effort is among several steps being taken to revive Great Indian Bustard
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.
India is making steady progress in the wildlife conservation journey and remains firmly committed to
protecting the Great Indian Bustard and other endangered species for future generations.
*****
VM
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