Why it is in the news
On 4 October 2026, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientists released two male Great Indian Bustards (GIB) into the wild at Sam, Desert National Park (DNP), Jaisalmer — the first release of captive-bred GIBs from the conservation breeding programme run with the Rajasthan Forest Department. The Environment Ministry called it the transition of Project GIB from conservation breeding to rewilding; Rajasthan Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma was present.
The exam angle
Issue: Can captive breeding rescue a species whose decline was caused by habitat-level threats — power lines and grassland loss — that captivity cannot fix?