Barmer/Jaisalmer, Oct. 28 -- The Rajasthan forest department has backtracked on its plan to destroy fox dens in Jaisalmer's Desert National Park (DNP) to protect the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), deciding instead to preserve the natural ecosystem. The move follows the death of a captive-bred bustard found near a fox den in the Sam area on October 18, prompting wildlife experts to warn against disturbing ecological balance. It mentioned here that after the death of a captive-bred Great Indian Bustard chick found near a fox den in Jaisalmer's Sam area, Rajasthan forest department had planned to remove fox dens in the Desert National Park (DNP), citing the need to protect the endangered bird. However, following objections from environmentalists and wildlife experts, the department has now backtracked on the plan, deciding instead to preserve the natural ecosystem and avoid disturbing the ecological balance. Now, the department will continue releasing captive-bred bustards into the wild while adopting lessons from Saudi Arabia's Houbara Bustard conservation project. Ashok Singh, assistant conservator of Forests at DNP, said foxes won't be relocated to other areas as doing so would disturb the natural ecosystem. He added that the process of releasing more GIBs into open areas of Sam would continue. On October 18, one of the four captive-bred Great Indian Bustards released into the wild in the Sam area was found dead. A fox den was reportedly located around 100 metres from the spot where the young bird was found, triggering discussions about removing foxes from the area. However, wildlife experts and environmentalists strongly opposed the proposal, arguing that destroying fox dens would disrupt natural ecological balance. Following objections, forest department decided against relocating foxes and opted to continue its conservation efforts without disturbing their habitat. Scientists working on Project GIB are drawing lessons from Saudi Arabia's Houbara Bustard conservation programme, which began in 1986. Officials said that, during the initial stages of the Saudi Arabian project, most birds released into the wild fell prey to predators. Removing foxes and wild cats did not significantly reduce the losses, as birds of prey, including eagles and owls, also posed a threat. The survival rate improved to around 50% when birds capable of flying, at approximately four months of age, were released into the wild. The population subsequently increased to between 300 and 400 birds. Learning from these experiences, scientists associated with India's Project GIB have adopted a strategy of releasing birds at around six months of age, when they are physically more developed and better equipped to survive in natural conditions....