In the Cards: Sperm Bank to Save Threatened Bird

By successfully performing the first hatching of an incredible Indian bustard chick through artificial insemination, conservationists have a better chance of saving the critically endangered species since it opens up the possibility of creating a sperm bank for the shy bird.

“Currently, there are 45 birds in both the centers, 14 of which are captive-bred chicks (including the one born through artificial insemination),” explains Ashish Vyas, a top forest official in Jaisalmer city, in the western state of Rajasthan.

The great Indian bustard is critical in the food chain as it preys on rodents, snakes, and other pests. However, due to habitat loss, poaching, and collisions with overhead power lines, the population dropped from more than 1,000 in the 1960s to around 150 today. To tackle this decline, the government of Rajasthan collaborated with the federal government and the Wildlife Institute of India to launch a conservation breeding centre at Sam City in 2018 and another one at Ramdevra village in 2022. An adult bustard female located in one breeding centre was impregnated with the sperm of a lone adult male trained to produce sperm without mating from another centre located 200 km away.