Barmer/Jaisalmer, Sept. 27 -- Ten captive-bred Great Indian Bustards (GIBs), Rajasthan's state bird, are being prepared for release into their natural habitat in Jaisalmer, officials said, adding that Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav is scheduled to visit Jaisalmer on October 3-4 to witness the release. As per the schedule, the birds will be released at Ramdevra on October 3 and Sudasari in the Desert National Park on October 4. Senior officials and wildlife experts from India and abroad are also expected to attend the programme. "This is one of the most important and joyful moments of the entire project," said Desert National Park DFO Chandrapal Chauhan. Officials said the birds have undergone extensive rewilding training in a specially designed tunnel at the conservation breeding facility, where they were trained to adapt to conditions similar to their natural environment while being kept away from human interference. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is supervising the initiative. Initially, the birds were planned to be released in Gujarat's Kutch region. However, following talks with experts, the Thar Desert was chosen and Ramdevra and Sudasari were identified as suitable sites for the first phase of the release. Officials said ten birds at the conservation breeding centres are currently healthy and considered ready for release. However, the exact number that will be released into open habitat will be decided after a final technical assessment by WII. The birds will be monitored after release to track their movements, behaviour, habitat use, adaptation and survival in the wild, said officials....