Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav announced on Sunday that Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB) has added three more chicks to its conservation breeding programme over the last few days, taking the total number of chicks born so far in the fourth year of captive breeding to 26. Sharing the information on the social media platform X, the Minister said the three new chicks hatched from one wild-collected egg and two captive-laid eggs. He added that the number of captive birds has now risen to 94, with more chicks expected to be born this season. The Minister noted that of the 26 chicks hatched in the fourth year of GIB captive breeding, 18 were produced through artificial insemination, four through natural breeding and four from wild eggs. He further said that, in lieu of the wild eggs, three chicks have hatched in the natural environment in Rajasthan through a 'Jumpstart Intervention'. The aim of this intervention is to improve early genetic diversity and to reduce the risk of predation. The Great Indian Bustard, Rajasthan's state bird, is a critically endangered species, and the conservation breeding effort marks a significant step in protecting and recovering its population.