Three chicks of the endangered Great Indian Bustard have been moved into a custom-built rewilding tunnel at the Godawan Conservation Centre in Ramdevra, Jaisalmer.

The ₹9.25 crore facility prepares captive-bred birds for life in the wild by minimising human contact and copying their natural habitat. The Great Indian Bustard, locally known as Godawan, is the state bird of Rajasthan.

The chicks will remain inside the tunnel for about four months under CCTV surveillance. The food will be provided without direct human contact, allowing the birds to gradually develop survival instincts like foraging, movement in open terrain and adapting to desert ecology.

"The focus is now on preparing these birds for life in the wild so that they can be safely rehabilitated in their natural habitat, " Deputy Conservator of Forests Ashok Singh said.

Forest officials described the development as a "historic milestone" in the conservation programme.

Following the rewilding phase, the chicks will be released into Desert National Park. The success of this initiative could pave the way for the large-scale reintroduction of captive-bred birds into the wild, bringing the long-standing goal of restoring Rajasthan’s Great Indian Bustard population to fruition.

Published - July 26, 2026 10:19 pm IST