Published: 28 March 2026Down to Earth / MoEFCC / Mongabay IndiaEnvironment
Great Indian Bustard Chick Hatches in Gujarat After a Decade Using Egg from Rajasthan Breeding Centre
In a landmark conservation achievement, Gujarat witnessed the hatching of its first Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick in over a decade on March 26, 2026, with the development announced by the Union Environment Ministry on March 28. The chick hatched in the Kutch (Kachchh) region of Gujarat through what the government called a "jumpstart approach" to conservation.
The breakthrough involved transporting a fertilised, incubated egg from Rajasthan's GIB Conservation Breeding Centre at Jaisalmer — covering 770 kilometres in a 19-hour road journey using a handheld incubator — to Gujarat, where a female GIB in the wild successfully incubated and hatched the chick.
The chick now weighs approximately 150 grams and is being guarded round-the-clock by a 50-member team of forest personnel stationed on watchtowers in shifts, relaying real-time updates to Gandhinagar.
India has two conservation breeding centres for GIBs at Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. As of the current breeding season, the number of birds in captive breeding has reached 73, with the addition of five new chicks.
The Great Indian Bustard is critically endangered, with fewer than 150 individuals left in the wild — the vast majority residing in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. It is the state bird of Rajasthan and faces threats from habitat loss, power line collisions, and human disturbance.
India's Project Great Indian Bustard, launched under the Wildlife Protection Act, aims to recover wild populations through captive breeding, habitat management, and community involvement. The success in Gujarat is considered a proof of concept for the jumpstart approach, which could be replicated to expand GIB range beyond Rajasthan.
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Q: Evaluate the significance of the recent Great Indian Bustard 'jumpstart approach' success in Gujarat for India's species recovery strategy.
Answer (50 words):
Gujarat hatched its first Great Indian Bustard chick in over a decade on 26 March 2026, using a fertilised egg transported 800 kilometres from Rajasthan's Jaisalmer breeding centre over 19 hours. This 'jumpstart approach' success, for a critically endangered state bird with fewer than 150 wild individuals, validates replicable captive-breeding-to-wild recovery models.
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Linked questionMedium
A Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick hatched in Gujarat in March 2026 after a decade. The egg used for hatching was transported from which location?
Explanation · Correct answer BThe GIB chick hatched in Kutch, Gujarat using a fertilised egg transported approximately 800 km from the GIB Conservation Breeding Centres at Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. This technique is called the "jumpstart approach." The GIB is the state bird of Rajasthan and is critically endangered with fewer than 150 birds in the wild.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and why is it significant for Rajasthan?
The Great Indian Bustard is a critically endangered bird and the state bird of Rajasthan. Fewer than 150 individuals remain in the wild, with the vast majority found in Rajasthan's Thar Desert. It is protected under India's Wildlife Protection Act and faces severe threats from habitat loss, power line collisions, and human disturbance.
What happened in Gujarat on March 26, 2026, and why is it significant?
A Great Indian Bustard chick hatched in the Kutch region of Gujarat on March 26, 2026 — the first GIB chick born in the state in over a decade. This was achieved through a 'jumpstart approach' in which an egg from Rajasthan's captive breeding centre was transported to Gujarat and placed with a wild female GIB, which then naturally hatched the chick.
How was the egg transported from Rajasthan to Gujarat for this breakthrough?
A fertilised, incubated egg was transported nearly 800 kilometres from the GIB Conservation Breeding Centre at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, to Gujarat in a 19-hour road journey using a handheld incubator. The egg was then placed with a wild female GIB in the Kutch region, which successfully incubated and hatched the chick.
Where are India's GIB captive breeding centres located, and how many birds are in captive breeding?
India has two captive breeding centres for Great Indian Bustards at Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. As of the current breeding season, 73 birds are in captive breeding, including five newly added chicks, representing a meaningful increase in the captive population.
What is the broader significance of this achievement for wildlife conservation in India?
The successful hatching in Gujarat is considered a proof of concept for the jumpstart approach, which could be replicated to expand the GIB's range beyond Rajasthan. It demonstrates that captive breeding combined with wild incubation can help restore critically endangered species to former habitats, offering a model under India's Project Great Indian Bustard.
