Three more Great Indian Bustard birds were freely released into the natural environment under the captive breeding program at the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer. Their age is around six months. They have been sent into the open forest in the Sudasari area under prescribed rules.
Following this process, the total number of artificially bred Great Indian Bustards released into the forest has now become seven. Scientists from the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India are jointly working on this conservation plan.
Soft release technique and monitoring
Instead of sending these birds directly into the open environment, forest officials adopted the 'soft release technique'. Under this, the birds were first kept in a special enclosure in the Sudasari area. The objective was to make them gradually accustomed to the natural surroundings.
Before sending them into the forest, satellite tags were tied to the bodies of all three Great Indian Bustards. The team of scientists will continuously monitor the movements, territory and behavior of the birds through these devices. This is being evaluated to see how they are adapting to the new conditions.
Background and future plan
Earlier in early October, four Great Indian Bustards were released into the forest. One of these birds died due to an attack by a desert fox. Following this incident, experts had thoroughly reviewed the security arrangements and methods.
During the first phase of this pilot project, a target has been set to release a total of 11 captive-bred Great Indian Bustards into the natural habitat.