Jaiselmer, Oct. 4 -- India released two captive-bred male Great Indian Bustards into the wild at Sam in the Desert National Park on Saturday, a step officials described as a turning point in efforts to save the critically endangered bird from extinction.

The release shifts India's bustard conservation programme from building a captive breeding population toward rewilding and expanding the species in its natural range, with officials saying lessons from this release will shape the protocols for further releases.

The Bustard Recovery Programme, run jointly by the environment ministry, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India, with technical input from the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and funding f...