Why in News
🗞️ Why in News
Three new Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chicks, one hatched from a wild-collected egg and two produced through artificial insemination, took the captive count to 94 at the Sudasari and Ramdevra breeding centres in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. With 2026 set to be the first soft-release year, the milestone marks a turning point for one of India’s most endangered birds.
The Great Indian Bustard is a flagship for grassland conservation and a recurring environment topic for both Prelims and Mains, especially the unusual threat of power-line collisions that drives its decline.
The Great Indian Bustard: Profile
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ardeotis nigriceps |
| IUCN status | Critically Endangered |
| State bird | Rajasthan |
| Habitat | Arid and semi-arid grasslands, the Thar desert |
| Biggest threat | Collision with overhead power lines |
| Breeding programme | Since 2018; centres at Sudasari and Ramdevra, Jaisalmer |
The GIB is a large, heavy, ground-dwelling bird of open grasslands. Once widespread across India’s dry plains, its numbers have collapsed, leaving a tiny population concentrated mainly in Rajasthan’s Thar landscape.
Why Power Lines Are the Killer
The GIB has poor frontal vision and is a heavy flier, so it cannot spot and dodge overhead transmission lines in time. Collisions with power lines are the single largest cause of unnatural deaths, a problem worsened by the spread of renewable-energy infrastructure across the same arid landscapes the bird inhabits. Conservation measures such as bird diverters and the call to lay lines underground respond directly to this threat.
The Conservation Programme
The captive-breeding programme, running since 2018, collects eggs from the wild and rears chicks in protected centres, supplemented now by artificial insemination to widen the gene pool.
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| Programme start | 2018 |
| Centres | Sudasari and Ramdevra, Jaisalmer |
| Latest additions | 3 chicks (1 wild egg, 2 by artificial insemination) |
| Total captive count | 94 |
| 2026 | First soft-release year |
The move to soft release, gradually acclimatising captive-bred birds to the wild, is the critical next stage. A captive population is only an insurance policy; the real test is whether birds can be returned to and survive in their natural grasslands.
The Analysis: Captive Breeding as a Bridge
- Insurance against extinction. With so few birds left in the wild, the captive population of 94 is a genetic safety net against a catastrophic local loss.
- Technology in conservation. Artificial insemination widens the breeding pool and reduces dependence on collecting wild eggs, easing pressure on the wild population.
- The hard part is release. Breeding birds in captivity is necessary but not sufficient; the 2026 soft-release year will test whether captive-reared GIBs can survive predators and find food in the wild.
The way forward is to mitigate power-line mortality through diverters and underground cabling along priority corridors, protect and restore grassland habitat, ensure successful soft release with monitoring, and balance renewable-energy expansion with the survival of the species in the same landscapes.
UPSC Relevance
- GS Paper 3 (Environment and Ecology): species conservation, captive breeding, IUCN Red List categories, the conflict between renewable-energy infrastructure and biodiversity.
- Prelims: the GIB’s scientific name, IUCN status, state-bird status, the power-line threat, the breeding centres in Jaisalmer.
- Mains: “Renewable-energy expansion and biodiversity conservation can conflict.” Discuss with reference to the Great Indian Bustard.
Facts Corner
📌 Facts Corner — Knowledgepedia
The bird:
- Great Indian Bustard, Ardeotis nigriceps; IUCN Critically Endangered; state bird of Rajasthan
- Biggest threat: collision with overhead power lines
The milestone:
- 3 new chicks (1 wild egg, 2 by artificial insemination) take the captive count to 94
- Centres at Sudasari and Ramdevra, Jaisalmer; programme running since 2018
- 2026 is the first soft-release year
Key idea:
- Captive breeding is an insurance policy; successful return to the wild is the real test
Sources: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, The Hindu
Source: Great Indian Bustard Captive Breeding Count Reaches 94 — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
