From Suda to Tony, a seed of life for Great Indian Bustards

Last Updated28/10/2024

Another milestone, linked to the seeds of new life for the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), has lodged itself in Pokhran’s history with the birth of the first bustard chick through artificial insemination last week.

India has celebrated a significant breakthrough in the conservation of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) with the birth of the first chick conceived through artificial insemination at a captive breeding center in Pokhran, Rajasthan. This success offers a glimmer of hope for a species whose wild population is estimated to be only around 150 birds, largely due to habitat loss, hunting, and collisions with power lines.

The breeding program, led by scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with Rajasthan’s Forest Department, faced numerous challenges. To ensure the success of artificial insemination, conservationists had to employ “human imprinting,” training birds to respond to dummy mates.
A three-year-old male named Suda, trained at the Ramdevra center in Jaisalmer, provided the sperm, which was transported to the Sam center to inseminate Tony, a five-year-old female. This delicate process led to the birth of the chick on October 16.

Artificial insemination offers two primary benefits for GIB conservation:
Timing and Success Rates: In the wild, male and female bustards often have misaligned breeding cycles, making natural mating challenging. With females laying eggs only once or twice a year, artificial insemination boosts the chances of fertilization.
Genetic Diversity: Limiting the transfer of birds between centers reduces their stress but can also lead to inbreeding. Artificial insemination allows scientists to introduce genetic variation more effectively, strengthening the birds’ resilience for eventual release into the wild.

India’s GIB recovery project, initiated in 2019, has produced 45 GIBs in captivity, 32 of which were hatched from wild-collected eggs. The ultimate aim is to establish a “founder population” with a minimum of 20 adult birds, including 15 females, to support a genetically diverse group for eventual re-wilding. Aviaries at the breeding centers will facilitate their “soft release” back into the wild, starting as early as 2025.

India’s scientists received specialized training from the International Fund for Houbara Bustard Conservation (IHFC) in Abu Dhabi, a facility with extensive experience in bustard conservation. This collaboration enabled India’s team to acquire essential skills and techniques for their project.
The successful hatching through artificial insemination signals an important step for India’s conservation efforts. While a complete revival of the GIB population remains a distant goal, the techniques developed could serve as valuable tools in preserving one of India’s most iconic birds.