Away from hostile borders, bustards find home in Ajmer

Hindustan Times

15-05-2025

On May 9, two days after Pakistan launched drones and missiles targeting various locations in India — most were brought down by India's air defence system — India moved some precious cargo from Jaisalmer, around 10km from the Pakistan border, to Ajmer, roughly 500km to the east.
The live cargo, nine Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) chicks, were moved in special vehicles to a centre that may now be the second captive breeding centre of a species that has been reduced to a few hundred individuals.
Captive breeding — 25 chicks were hatched from captive breeding efforts in the past year alone — has emerged as a possible way to combat (or at least defer), the imminent extinction of the species, and in the wake of the drone attacks, the Rajasthan forest department decided to provide a second home to captive bred GIBs in Ajmer, moving some from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) run captive bred centre in Jaisalmer.
Senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute, Sutirtha Dutta, said the GIB chicks were shifted to Ajmer on May 8 for 'security' reasons. 'As the Ramdevra Centre is located near the border, and in light of the tense situation and massive drone activity, the relocation was necessary to ensure the birds' safety and protection.'
Dutta added that nine chicks were shifted on May 8, and there were plans to relocate the remaining ones in the following weeks. However, the plan has been postponed with the two sides agreeing to a ceasefire.
On the morning of May 7, India struck at nine terror hubs in Pakistan, a response to the killing of 26 Indians in a targeted attack by terrorists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22. Pakistan responded by launching waves of drones and missiles at civilian and military targets in India. Indian forces repulsed these attacks and struck back, inflicting major damage on Pakistani military installations including air bases. On May 10, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations called up his Indian counterpart requesting a cessation of hostilities.
According to Dutta, the chicks, aged between five and 20 days were transported in specially designed soft-suspension vehicles to ensure their comfort and safety. He added that the transportation was conducted under the supervision of expert handlers, with a dedicated team of trainers accompanying the chicks to ensure their well-being.
He added that bringing the chicks back is not only challenging but also unsafe. 'We are exploring the option of whether we can keep them there permanently or return them once the situation stabilizes,' he said.
Brijmohan Gupta, deputy conservator of forest at the desert national park (DNP) in Jaisalmer, said, 'They are discussing the possibility of keeping the chicks there to provide a second home for them.' He added a final decision will be taken in a few days.
Dutta said the choice of Arwar village in Ajmer district was strategic as it has already hosts the Lesser Florican Conservation Centre and is equipped with the necessary infrastructure for handling sensitive conservation operations.
Arwar village hosts India's first Lesser Florican Conservation Breeding Centre, a vital initiative aimed at saving one of the country's most endangered grassland birds. Developed jointly by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Rajasthan forest department, the centre aims to reverse the drastic decline of the Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus), known for its dramatic courtship leaps during the monsoon.
In 2023, the centre achieved the successful hatching of 11 Lesser Florican chicks—a landmark moment in the species' recovery. This was the first time such a number of hatchings occurred in captivity in India, offering hope for increasing the bird's critically low population, currently estimated to be under 250 in the wild.
The population of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard under India's national breeding programme has doubled from its founding number in just two years. On May 9, the programme marked the hatching of its 18th chick of the year, with nine of them born through artificial insemination—a ground breaking achievement in avian conservation. The remaining chicks were born naturally under controlled, captive conditions, officials said.
Since it began in June 2019, the Bustard Recovery Programme has successfully reared 62 birds in total from wild-collected eggs and through captive breeding efforts. Currently, the Ramdevra Breeding Centre in Jaisalmer houses 29 birds, the Sam Centre holds 24, and nine birds have recently been transferred to Arwar, Ajmer.