Two Great Indian Bustards Released into the Wild at Desert National Park

On 4 October 2026 Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released two male Great Indian Bustards into the wild at Sam in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. This marks the conservation breeding programme's shift into a rewilding phase. The programme holds 97 birds across the Sam and Ramdevra centres — 40 hatched from wild-collected eggs and 57 bred in captivity. Eleven birds are designated for release and 86 retained for breeding. The centres produced 24 chicks in 2025 and 29 in 2026. The effort is run with the Rajasthan Forest Department, the Wildlife Institute of India and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation, funded by National CAMPA.

What Happened

On 4 October 2026 two male Great Indian Bustards bred under the conservation breeding programme were released into the wild at Sam in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav performed the release, with Rajasthan's Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma present. The release moves a programme that has run for nearly a decade from breeding into rewilding.

When & Where

The release took place on Sunday, 4 October 2026 at Sam, inside Desert National Park in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. The Park lies in the Thar Desert and spreads across the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, and it is the last substantial stronghold of the species in India.

Who Is Involved

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change — the nodal ministry; its Minister Bhupender Yadav released the birds.
Rajasthan Forest Department — manages Desert National Park and the breeding centres on the ground.
Wildlife Institute of India — provides the scientific design of the breeding and release protocol.
International Fund for Houbara Conservation — the international partner with bustard breeding expertise.
National CAMPA — the funding channel for the programme.

How It Works

Eggs are collected from wild nests, where survival rates are low, and hatched at the Sam and Ramdevra centres under controlled conditions.
Chicks are reared to a size at which predators are less of a threat, which is why the programme built up a stock of 97 birds before releasing any.
Birds are then sorted by purpose: 11 for release into the wild and 86 kept back as the breeding nucleus, so the captive line is never endangered by a failed release.
Released birds go into fenced grassland enclosures covering 200 square kilometres inside the Park, which keeps out feral dogs and livestock while the birds adjust.
In parallel, the jumpstart method places captive-laid eggs in wild nests so wild females raise them, which adds birds to the wild population without any captive rearing at all.

Why It Matters

Scientific angle: this is the first move from breeding to release, so it tests whether captive-bred bustards can survive in the wild at all.
Policy angle: success would validate conservation breeding as a tool for other critically endangered Indian species.
Economic angle: the bustard's habitat overlaps with India's best wind and solar zones, so its survival is tied to how transmission infrastructure is routed.

Historical Background

The Great Indian Bustard was once found across the dry grasslands of western and central India, but habitat conversion, hunting and collisions with power lines reduced it to a few pockets. A dedicated conservation breeding programme was set up in Rajasthan with the Wildlife Institute of India and Abu Dhabi's bustard conservation agency, and has been running for nearly a decade. The 2026 release is its first rewilding step.

Previous Related Events

The jumpstart method, using captive-laid eggs in wild nests, produced 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat.
The breeding centres produced 24 chicks in 2025, their strongest season to that point.
In 2026 the centres improved on that, producing 29 chicks.

Static GK Connection

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: the Great Indian Bustard is placed in Schedule I, the highest level of legal protection available under Indian wildlife law.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016: National CAMPA, which funds this programme, was created under this Act to manage money collected when forest land is diverted.

India & World Comparison

The Great Indian Bustard is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the last category before extinction in the wild, and India holds effectively the entire world population. The International Fund for Houbara Conservation brings in experience from breeding the related Houbara bustard in West Asia. India's captive stock of 97 birds, with 29 chicks produced in 2026, is small by the standards of successful species-recovery programmes elsewhere, which is why the release phase has been approached cautiously.

Future Impact

Eleven birds are designated for release, so further releases from the current stock can be expected.
Survival of the two released males will decide how quickly the remaining nine are freed.
The 200 square kilometres of fenced grassland enclosures give the programme a protected base to expand releases from.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

4 October 2026: two male Great Indian Bustards released into the wild.
Site: Sam, Desert National Park, Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan.
Released by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
Rajasthan's Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma was present.
Captive population: 97 birds in all.
Of these, 40 hatched from wild-collected eggs and 57 bred in captivity.
Eleven birds designated for release; 86 retained for breeding.
Chicks produced: 24 in 2025 and 29 in 2026.
Breeding centres: Sam and Ramdevra, both in Rajasthan.
Partners: Rajasthan Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India, International Fund for Houbara Conservation.
Funding channel: National CAMPA.
Jumpstart method yielded 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat.
Fenced grassland enclosures inside the Park cover 200 square kilometres.
IUCN Red List status of the species: Critically Endangered.
Legal protection: Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: Conservation Breeding and the Great Indian Bustard

Definition: Conservation breeding is the controlled breeding of a threatened species in captivity with the explicit aim of returning its offspring to the wild.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: The Great Indian Bustard is protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; the Constitution also places protection of wildlife among the fundamental duties and directs the State to safeguard forests and wildlife.
Scientific / Economic Principle: Very small populations suffer from inbreeding and chance events, so breeding adds individuals faster than wild nesting can, buying time for habitat repair.
Link to this event: The 4 October 2026 release is the point at which the Indian programme moved from adding birds in captivity to adding birds in the wild.
Origin & History: The species' decline followed the conversion of dry grasslands, and the dedicated breeding programme in Rajasthan has been running for nearly a decade.
Key milestone 1: The jumpstart method produced 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat by placing captive-laid eggs in wild nests.
Key milestone 2: The centres produced 24 chicks in 2025 and then 29 in 2026.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 which created CAMPA; and the Convention on Migratory Species, under which the bustard is listed for the highest level of international cooperation.
Nodal Ministry / Body: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with the Wildlife Institute of India as the scientific agency and state forest departments in the field.
India-specific relevance: India holds effectively the entire world population, so the species survives or disappears on the strength of Indian conservation alone.
Global comparison: Breeding and release programmes for the related Houbara bustard in West Asia supplied the technical model, and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation is a direct partner.
Data point: The captive population stood at 97 birds, with 29 chicks produced in 2026 and 24 in 2025.
Common exam angle: IUCN status, Schedule of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, the state whose bird it is, the park where it survives, and the agencies running the breeding programme.
Easy memory hook: "Godawan of the Thar — Schedule I, Critically Endangered, bred at Sam and Ramdevra."

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. Where were two Great Indian Bustards released into the wild on 4 October 2026? [Easy]

A) Kutch Bustard Sanctuary

B) Desert National Park, Jaisalmer

C) Ranthambore National Park

D) Karera Wildlife Sanctuary

Answer: B

Explanation: The release took place at Sam inside Desert National Park in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan.

Q2. Which Union Minister released the two Great Indian Bustards into the wild? [Easy]

A) The Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

B) The Minister of Tribal Affairs

C) The Minister of Science and Technology

D) The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Answer: D

Explanation: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the birds, with Rajasthan's Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma present.

Q3. What is the total captive population of Great Indian Bustards under the conservation breeding programme? [Moderate]

A) 97

B) 57

C) 40

D) 29

Answer: A

Explanation: The programme holds 97 birds — 40 hatched from wild-collected eggs and 57 bred in captivity.

Q4. Which international body is a partner in the Great Indian Bustard conservation breeding programme? [Moderate]

A) WWF International

B) BirdLife International

C) International Fund for Houbara Conservation

D) Wildlife Conservation Society

Answer: C

Explanation: The International Fund for Houbara Conservation works with the Environment Ministry, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India on the programme.

Q5. The jumpstart method used in the programme involves: [Moderate]

A) releasing tagged adult birds into fenced enclosures

B) placing captive-laid eggs in wild nests

C) artificial insemination of wild females

D) moving chicks between states for rearing

Answer: B

Explanation: Captive-laid eggs placed in wild nests produced 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat.

Q6. How many chicks did the breeding centres produce in 2026? [Tricky]

A) 11

B) 24

C) 40

D) 29

Answer: D

Explanation: The centres produced 29 chicks in 2026, up from 24 chicks in 2025.

Q7. Which two centres host the Great Indian Bustard conservation breeding programme in Rajasthan? [Tricky]

A) Sam and Jodhpur

B) Ramdevra and Pokhran

C) Sam and Ramdevra

D) Jaisalmer and Barmer

Answer: C

Explanation: The programme runs facilities at Sam and Ramdevra, which together hold 97 birds.

Q8. The Great Indian Bustard conservation breeding programme is funded through which channel? [Tricky]

A) National CAMPA

B) The National Clean Energy Fund

C) The Nirbhaya Fund

D) The National Disaster Response Fund

Answer: A

Explanation: Funding comes through National CAMPA, created under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

The Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of which State?

A) Gujarat

B) Rajasthan

C) Madhya Pradesh

D) Maharashtra

Answer: B

Explanation: It is Rajasthan's state bird, known locally as Godawan, and its principal surviving habitat is Desert National Park in Jaisalmer.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements about the Great Indian Bustard:

It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
It is included in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Two Great Indian Bustards were released into the wild in Gujarat in October 2026.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 2 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: B

Explanation: Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong because the October 2026 release took place at Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

PYQ 3:

Assertion (A): Overhead power transmission lines are treated as a major threat to the Great Indian Bustard.

Reason (R): The bird has poor frontal vision and a heavy body, so it cannot change direction quickly once in flight.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

C) A is true but R is false

D) A is false but R is true

Answer: A

Explanation: Poor frontal vision combined with a heavy body makes mid-air collisions with transmission lines a leading cause of death for the species, which is why its habitat is treated as sensitive to power infrastructure.

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): Evaluate conservation breeding as a strategy for saving critically endangered species, with reference to the Great Indian Bustard.

Conservation breeding buys time; it does not by itself save a species. The Great Indian Bustard programme illustrates both halves of that statement.

The gains are measurable. The programme has built a stock of 97 birds, 40 from wild-collected eggs and 57 bred in captivity, and raised annual output from 24 chicks in 2025 to 29 in 2026. On 4 October 2026 two males were released at Sam in Desert National Park, the first move into rewilding, with 11 birds in all designated for release and 86 held back as a breeding nucleus.

The limits are equally clear. Birds returned to a habitat still crossed by power lines and grazed by livestock will not survive, which is why 200 square kilometres of fenced grassland enclosures were created first.

The way forward is to pair every release with habitat work, and to extend the jumpstart method that already yielded 8 chicks in the wild.

Question 2 (250 words): India's grassland conservation goals and its renewable energy expansion often occupy the same land. Discuss with reference to the Great Indian Bustard.

The Great Indian Bustard's last strongholds lie in the dry grasslands of western Rajasthan, which are also among India's windiest and sunniest districts. That overlap is the sharpest conservation-versus-development conflict in Indian environmental policy today.

The historical background is one of neglect. Grasslands were long classified as wasteland rather than as an ecosystem, so they were converted to farmland, grazed heavily and crossed by infrastructure without the scrutiny applied to forests. The bustard, a ground-nesting bird of open country, declined accordingly, and the species now sits in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

The current event shows what careful intervention can achieve. The conservation breeding programme, run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with the Rajasthan Forest Department, the Wildlife Institute of India and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and funded through National CAMPA, has reached 97 birds and 29 chicks in 2026. On 4 October 2026 it released its first two birds into the wild inside 200 square kilometres of fenced grassland enclosures.

Two dimensions remain unresolved. Economically, transmission corridors are cheaper overhead than underground, so routing decisions impose a real cost somewhere. Legally, the courts have begun treating protection from environmental harm as a matter of fundamental rights, which raises the standard that infrastructure planning must meet.

The balanced reading is that breeding has stabilised numbers while habitat policy has not caught up. The concrete way forward is to settle transmission routing rules for bustard landscapes before the next round of releases.

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse the Great Indian Bustard with the Lesser Florican and the Houbara bustard. The correct fact is that the Great Indian Bustard is Rajasthan's state bird, known locally as Godawan, while the Houbara is the West Asian species from which the Indian programme borrowed its breeding technique.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that the entire captive stock is being returned to the wild. The reality is that 11 of the 97 birds are designated for release while 86 are retained as the captive breeding nucleus.
Trap 3: Many students miss where the October 2026 release actually happened. Always remember that it took place at Sam in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, while Gujarat's contribution was 2 chicks hatched under the jumpstart method.

Two Great Indian Bustards Released into the Wild at Desert National Park

What Happened

When & Where

Who Is Involved

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change — the nodal ministry; its Minister Bhupender Yadav released the birds.
Rajasthan Forest Department — manages Desert National Park and the breeding centres on the ground.
Wildlife Institute of India — provides the scientific design of the breeding and release protocol.
International Fund for Houbara Conservation — the international partner with bustard breeding expertise.
National CAMPA — the funding channel for the programme.

How It Works

Eggs are collected from wild nests, where survival rates are low, and hatched at the Sam and Ramdevra centres under controlled conditions.
Chicks are reared to a size at which predators are less of a threat, which is why the programme built up a stock of 97 birds before releasing any.
Birds are then sorted by purpose: 11 for release into the wild and 86 kept back as the breeding nucleus, so the captive line is never endangered by a failed release.
Released birds go into fenced grassland enclosures covering 200 square kilometres inside the Park, which keeps out feral dogs and livestock while the birds adjust.
In parallel, the jumpstart method places captive-laid eggs in wild nests so wild females raise them, which adds birds to the wild population without any captive rearing at all.

Why It Matters

Scientific angle: this is the first move from breeding to release, so it tests whether captive-bred bustards can survive in the wild at all.
Policy angle: success would validate conservation breeding as a tool for other critically endangered Indian species.
Economic angle: the bustard's habitat overlaps with India's best wind and solar zones, so its survival is tied to how transmission infrastructure is routed.

Historical Background

Previous Related Events

The jumpstart method, using captive-laid eggs in wild nests, produced 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat.
The breeding centres produced 24 chicks in 2025, their strongest season to that point.
In 2026 the centres improved on that, producing 29 chicks.

Static GK Connection

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: the Great Indian Bustard is placed in Schedule I, the highest level of legal protection available under Indian wildlife law.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016: National CAMPA, which funds this programme, was created under this Act to manage money collected when forest land is diverted.

India & World Comparison

Future Impact

Eleven birds are designated for release, so further releases from the current stock can be expected.
Survival of the two released males will decide how quickly the remaining nine are freed.
The 200 square kilometres of fenced grassland enclosures give the programme a protected base to expand releases from.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

4 October 2026: two male Great Indian Bustards released into the wild.
Site: Sam, Desert National Park, Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan.
Released by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
Rajasthan's Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma was present.
Captive population: 97 birds in all.
Of these, 40 hatched from wild-collected eggs and 57 bred in captivity.
Eleven birds designated for release; 86 retained for breeding.
Chicks produced: 24 in 2025 and 29 in 2026.
Breeding centres: Sam and Ramdevra, both in Rajasthan.
Partners: Rajasthan Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India, International Fund for Houbara Conservation.
Funding channel: National CAMPA.
Jumpstart method yielded 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat.
Fenced grassland enclosures inside the Park cover 200 square kilometres.
IUCN Red List status of the species: Critically Endangered.
Legal protection: Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: Conservation Breeding and the Great Indian Bustard

Definition: Conservation breeding is the controlled breeding of a threatened species in captivity with the explicit aim of returning its offspring to the wild.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: The Great Indian Bustard is protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; the Constitution also places protection of wildlife among the fundamental duties and directs the State to safeguard forests and wildlife.
Scientific / Economic Principle: Very small populations suffer from inbreeding and chance events, so breeding adds individuals faster than wild nesting can, buying time for habitat repair.
Link to this event: The 4 October 2026 release is the point at which the Indian programme moved from adding birds in captivity to adding birds in the wild.
Origin & History: The species' decline followed the conversion of dry grasslands, and the dedicated breeding programme in Rajasthan has been running for nearly a decade.
Key milestone 1: The jumpstart method produced 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat by placing captive-laid eggs in wild nests.
Key milestone 2: The centres produced 24 chicks in 2025 and then 29 in 2026.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 which created CAMPA; and the Convention on Migratory Species, under which the bustard is listed for the highest level of international cooperation.
Nodal Ministry / Body: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with the Wildlife Institute of India as the scientific agency and state forest departments in the field.
India-specific relevance: India holds effectively the entire world population, so the species survives or disappears on the strength of Indian conservation alone.
Global comparison: Breeding and release programmes for the related Houbara bustard in West Asia supplied the technical model, and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation is a direct partner.
Data point: The captive population stood at 97 birds, with 29 chicks produced in 2026 and 24 in 2025.
Common exam angle: IUCN status, Schedule of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, the state whose bird it is, the park where it survives, and the agencies running the breeding programme.
Easy memory hook: "Godawan of the Thar — Schedule I, Critically Endangered, bred at Sam and Ramdevra."

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. Where were two Great Indian Bustards released into the wild on 4 October 2026? [Easy]

A) Kutch Bustard Sanctuary

B) Desert National Park, Jaisalmer

C) Ranthambore National Park

D) Karera Wildlife Sanctuary

Answer: B

Explanation: The release took place at Sam inside Desert National Park in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan.

Q2. Which Union Minister released the two Great Indian Bustards into the wild? [Easy]

A) The Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

B) The Minister of Tribal Affairs

C) The Minister of Science and Technology

D) The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Answer: D

Explanation: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the birds, with Rajasthan's Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma present.

Q3. What is the total captive population of Great Indian Bustards under the conservation breeding programme? [Moderate]

A) 97

B) 57

C) 40

D) 29

Answer: A

Explanation: The programme holds 97 birds — 40 hatched from wild-collected eggs and 57 bred in captivity.

Q4. Which international body is a partner in the Great Indian Bustard conservation breeding programme? [Moderate]

A) WWF International

B) BirdLife International

C) International Fund for Houbara Conservation

D) Wildlife Conservation Society

Answer: C

Explanation: The International Fund for Houbara Conservation works with the Environment Ministry, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India on the programme.

Q5. The jumpstart method used in the programme involves: [Moderate]

A) releasing tagged adult birds into fenced enclosures

B) placing captive-laid eggs in wild nests

C) artificial insemination of wild females

D) moving chicks between states for rearing

Answer: B

Explanation: Captive-laid eggs placed in wild nests produced 6 chicks in Rajasthan and 2 in Gujarat.

Q6. How many chicks did the breeding centres produce in 2026? [Tricky]

A) 11

B) 24

C) 40

D) 29

Answer: D

Explanation: The centres produced 29 chicks in 2026, up from 24 chicks in 2025.

Q7. Which two centres host the Great Indian Bustard conservation breeding programme in Rajasthan? [Tricky]

A) Sam and Jodhpur

B) Ramdevra and Pokhran

C) Sam and Ramdevra

D) Jaisalmer and Barmer

Answer: C

Explanation: The programme runs facilities at Sam and Ramdevra, which together hold 97 birds.

Q8. The Great Indian Bustard conservation breeding programme is funded through which channel? [Tricky]

A) National CAMPA

B) The National Clean Energy Fund

C) The Nirbhaya Fund

D) The National Disaster Response Fund

Answer: A

Explanation: Funding comes through National CAMPA, created under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

The Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of which State?

A) Gujarat

B) Rajasthan

C) Madhya Pradesh

D) Maharashtra

Answer: B

Explanation: It is Rajasthan's state bird, known locally as Godawan, and its principal surviving habitat is Desert National Park in Jaisalmer.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements about the Great Indian Bustard:

It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
It is included in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Two Great Indian Bustards were released into the wild in Gujarat in October 2026.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 2 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: B

Explanation: Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong because the October 2026 release took place at Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

PYQ 3:

Assertion (A): Overhead power transmission lines are treated as a major threat to the Great Indian Bustard.

Reason (R): The bird has poor frontal vision and a heavy body, so it cannot change direction quickly once in flight.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

C) A is true but R is false

D) A is false but R is true

Answer: A

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): Evaluate conservation breeding as a strategy for saving critically endangered species, with reference to the Great Indian Bustard.

Conservation breeding buys time; it does not by itself save a species. The Great Indian Bustard programme illustrates both halves of that statement.

The way forward is to pair every release with habitat work, and to extend the jumpstart method that already yielded 8 chicks in the wild.

Question 2 (250 words): India's grassland conservation goals and its renewable energy expansion often occupy the same land. Discuss with reference to the Great Indian Bustard.

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse the Great Indian Bustard with the Lesser Florican and the Houbara bustard. The correct fact is that the Great Indian Bustard is Rajasthan's state bird, known locally as Godawan, while the Houbara is the West Asian species from which the Indian programme borrowed its breeding technique.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that the entire captive stock is being returned to the wild. The reality is that 11 of the 97 birds are designated for release while 86 are retained as the captive breeding nucleus.
Trap 3: Many students miss where the October 2026 release actually happened. Always remember that it took place at Sam in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, while Gujarat's contribution was 2 chicks hatched under the jumpstart method.