Captive-Bred Great Indian Bustard Killed By Desert Fox Days After Release Into Wild

The effort to return captive-bred Great Indian Bustards to the wild has suffered a setback in Rajasthan. A six-month-old bird was killed by a desert fox just four days after its release.Raised at the Wildlife Institute of India’s breeding centre in Sam, the bird was part of an experimental rewilding programme. Authorities plan to capture and relocate foxes in the Desert National Park region to prevent similar incidents."Several dens belonging to desert foxes and common foxes have been found in the national park region. We are taking steps to remove the desert foxes from the area, and for this, we will install cages and remove them from here," said Chandrapal Singh Chahuhan, DFO, Desert National Park.  The Great Indian Bustard, locally known as Godawan, is among the world's rarest birds and an iconic species of Rajasthan's desert ecosystem.