Forest dept starts egg replacement pilot to boost GIB conservation
Conducted by the forest department at Desert National Park, the project involves replacing wild eggs with dummy ones and relocating the real eggs for artificial incubation.
Two eggs were initially collected from nests in the Desert National Park and incubated at the conservation centre in Ramdevra. They were returned to their original nests one to two days before hatching, allowing the chicks to emerge and be raised under natural conditions by their mothers.
Officials said this method aims to improve survival rates without disturbing the birds' maternal instincts.
District forest officer Brijmohan Gupta said the initiative serves three key scientific objectives- protecting eggs from natural predators like jackals and dogs, ensuring successful hatching under controlled conditions, and promoting genetic exchange between GIB populations in Jaisalmer and Pokhran, whose intermingling has declined.
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The egg replacement process is carried out by a trained team to ensure the female bird continues to incubate the dummy egg without abandoning the nest. Once the real eggs are incubated in a secure, temperature-controlled environment, they are carefully returned just before hatching.
Although commonly used in international conservation efforts, this technique is being implemented for the first time in Rajasthan.
The forest department is monitoring the results closely, with plans to expand the project if it proves effective.
With only a few GIBs left in the wild, this pilot project marks a hopeful step towards reviving the species' population. The department aims to scale up the initiative in the coming years to ensure more successful hatchings and reintroductions into the bird's natural habitat.
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