First Great Indian Bustard chick born via AI at Rajasthan's Ramdevra breeding centre

JAISALMER: Encouraging developments have emerged from Jaisalmer regarding the conservation of the critically endangered, Schedule-I wildlife species and Rajasthan’s state bird, the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

In a major breakthrough, the first chick of the year has been born at the GIB Breeding Centre located at Ramdevra near Pokaran. Notably, the chick has been produced using advanced artificial insemination (AI) technology, bringing renewed hope to conservationists and wildlife experts.

Union Environment minister Bhupender Yadav confirmed the development through a tweet on Saturday, expressing happiness over the progress. He said the total number of GIBs at the conservation breeding centres in Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer has now increased to 73, including five new chicks added during the current breeding season. He also highlighted that, under the long-term conservation plan, India is moving towards rewilding these birds in their natural habitat in the near future.

Deputy Conservator of Forests, Desert National Park, Brijmohan Gupta, said the Ramdevra Breeding Centre, established in 2022, has recorded its first-ever chick birth this year. The chick was born on March 26 through AI technology from an egg developed using a female GIB named “Jerry” and a male named “Parv”.

This achievement is considered a major milestone for the Ramdevra facility, which has been specially designed with controlled conditions, secure enclosures, and scientific monitoring to ensure successful breeding of this critically endangered species. With this success, Ramdevra has now emerged as a strong addition alongside Sam–Sudasari in the GIB conservation network.

The conservation effort is being carried out under Project GIB, launched in 2018 as a joint initiative of the central government, the state government, and the Wildlife Institute of India. Initially, the project faced several challenges due to the rapidly declining population and extremely low natural breeding rates of the species. However, sustained scientific efforts over the past seven years have started yielding visible results.

Senior scientist at WII and GIB Breeding Centre coordinator, Dr Suthirto Dutta, said four chicks have been born this year at the Sam Breeding Centre and one at Ramdevra through AI, taking the total number of new chicks to five. This has increased the overall GIB population in Jaisalmer district to 73.

Experts note that the natural breeding of GIB is slow and highly vulnerable due to threats such as predation, extreme temperatures, and human activities. AI technology has emerged as a game-changer by improving fertilisation success rates and ensuring safer incubation under controlled conditions, significantly boosting conservation efforts.