India has released two captive-bred Great Indian Bustards into the wild for the first time. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav freed the two male birds on Sunday at Sam in Rajasthan’s Desert National Park.

The release marks a shift from captive breeding to rewilding. Scientists will track the birds’ movement, feeding and survival with fitted tracking devices. Lessons from this first release will shape future rewilding plans.

The birds are products of nearly a decade of work by the Wildlife Institute of India, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Environment Ministry. Rajasthan minister Sanjay Sharma attended the release.

The Great Indian Bustard is critically endangered. Conservation facilities at Sam and Ramdevra now hold 97 birds, according to the Environment Ministry. Of these, 40 came from wild-laid eggs and 57 were bred in captivity.

Breeding has picked up pace. The programme produced 24 live chicks in 2025 and 29 in 2026. Eleven birds have been marked for release into the wild.

Yadav called it a milestone and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support to conservation scientists.