Conservation of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) birds, which number about 140 in the wild, will enter a critical phase this weekend with at least two captive-bred GIB chicks slated for a pilot wild release in enclosures within the Desert National Park (DNP) in Jaisalmer, The Indian Express has learnt.The pilot release will see the official commencement of the ‘rewilding’ phase of Project GIB, which is under implementation since 2013 for the long-term recovery of the flagship species of the Thar landscape.According to those aware of developments, Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, and Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal Sharma, are likely to preside over the pilot release event, which is expected to be held on October 4. Already, a few chicks have been released at an aviary in Sam for soft release, away from humans, to prepare them for the rewilding process.Also Read | It’s May Day SOS for not just the Great Indian Bustard“Two male chicks, aged four to six months old, are likely to be released in existing enclosures within the Desert National Park. These birds will be radio-tagged to monitor their movement and behaviour,” said K C A Arun Prasad, Chief Wildlife Warden, Rajasthan Forest Department.The GIB, a keystone species of arid and semi-arid open natural ecosystems, has been on the brink of extinction with its wild population hovering in the range of 120-150 for many years. According to latest population estimates, the largest population, 130 (+/-20) is in Rajasthan with about 5-6 individuals across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.They have faced threats ranging from habitat loss, poaching, and depredation of individuals and GIB eggs by predators. More recently, mortality due to collisions with power lines erected to evacuate power from renewable energy projects have posed a threat.Read | The Great Indian Bustards of Kutch: Their habitats, existential threatThe Supreme Court has ordered that renewable energy project power lines situated in areas outside the DNP have to be buried underground by December 2027.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Explained: Critically endangered Great Indian Bustards’ recovery program, and what lies aheadThe GIB chicks to be released in the wild were bred and raised in captivity under the ‘conservation breeding’ phase of Project GIB. To insure against their low wild population, at least 98 Bustards have been bred in captivity at the Wildlife Institute of India’s (WII) conservation breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra, in Jaisalmer.Beginning 2019, wild collected eggs were artificially incubated, hatched and raised by a team of WII scientists. Of the 98 birds, 40 have been raised through artificial incubation, while 57 were born to birds who mated in captivity at these centres.ExplainedInsect feedThe timing of the pilot release in Desert National Park (DNP) in Jaisalmer has been scheduled with the end of monsoon as the insect load in the grasslands will aid feeding of the Great Indian Bustard chicks. The GIB has a slow reproduction rate, laying eggs once every one-two years.Earlier this year, the “jumpstart” method was also used in which infertile eggs laid by wild female GIBs in Kutch, Gujarat, were replaced with viable eggs from Rajasthan’s captive-breeding centre by WII scientists in collaboration with the Rajasthan and Gujarat forest department. The chick that was born in the second such attempt has survived the critical first three months in the wild, as per a press release issued by the Environment Ministry earlier this month.Read | How Supreme Court is overseeing conservation of the Great Indian BustardThe timing of the pilot release has been scheduled with the end of monsoon as the insect load in the grasslands of DNP will aid feeding of the GIB chicks. The GIB has a slow reproduction rate, laying eggs once every one-two years.Story continues below this adThe enclosures within DNP are spread over 15-20 sq km. According to the latest GIB population estimation survey, at least 40 individual birds are distributed in the northern part of DNP — around the release sites. Those working on Project GIB said that the chicks that will be released will have to survive the risks of predation, with the presence of birds of prey, desert foxes in these habitats. The survival of a captive-bred bustard released in the wild is low, between 10-30 % a year, according to those associated with the project.Explained | With less than 150 Great Indian Bustards remaining in the wild, what’s driving their extinction?“It is the beginning of a long challenge,” said Sutirtha Dutta, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist and project investigator.The latest population survey, carried out in 2024-25 and made public in July this year, had noted that the GIB were largely concentrated on flat grasslands, devoid of human settlements and renewable energy infrastructure, in and around the DNP and Pokhran Range in Jaisalmer district.