Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced on Saturday that a Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick has hatched in Gujarat's Kutch after a decade. This marks the first inter-state initiative using the jumpstart approach, with a fertile egg transported 770 km from Rajasthan. The chick hatched on March 26 and is being reared by its foster mother in the wild.
Gujarat's Kutch grasslands, home to only three surviving female GIBs, lacked the possibility of a fertile egg. A captive-bred egg from Rajasthan's conservation breeding programme was transported over 770 km in a halt-free road journey lasting more than 19 hours inside a handheld portable incubator. On March 22, it was placed in the nest of a female GIB tagged in August 2025, who had previously laid an infertile egg.
The female incubated the fertile egg, and the chick hatched successfully on March 26, the minister said. A field monitoring team is observing the young chick as it is reared by its foster mother in its natural habitat.
The jumpstart effort, planned a year ago, was coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the forest departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and the Wildlife Institute of India.
Project GIB, envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2011 and formally launched in 2016, aims to conserve the species in its natural habitats including Gujarat. Mr. Yadav noted that conservation centres at Sam and Ramdevra in Rajasthan now hold 73 birds, including five new chicks from the current breeding season. India is advancing towards rewilding as part of long-term plans.
In a social media post, Mr. Yadav described the event as a significant achievement in recovering the critically endangered species. He congratulated scientists, field officers, and wildlife enthusiasts involved, expressed hope for the chick's survival, and reaffirmed the government's commitment to the conservation endeavour.