Hope takes flight: 10 rare vultures shipped from Pinjore to new conservation home in Hyderabad
This is the first time the vultures are sent to this centre.
"The critically endangered vultures were carefully selected for the transfer based on their health, age, and behavioural traits to ensure optimal success in future breeding. Each bird was placed in an individual wooden crate to ensure safety and reduce stress during the journey, which is being undertaken by road in a fully air-conditioned bus," said Hemant Bajpai of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
The birds will reach Telangana in two and a half days.
"This exercise is being done to bring about diversity in the population. The Telangana centre has nine white-rumped birds, but there are no long-billed vultures. That is the reason why we have selected these birds," he added.
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The goal is to strengthen the ex-situ conservation initiative, focusing on breeding and eventual reintroduction of vultures into the wild to counter their rapidly declining population.
Earlier, similar exercises were carried out in Bhopal and Gujarat.
"They will be bred in captivity and eventually released into the wild just like we do here in Pinjore. We sent around 50 to 60 vultures to Bhopal and Gujarat so far for breeding," he added.
To further minimise travel-related stress, JCBC staff members followed standard avian transport protocols, ensuring the vultures were last fed two days before their departure.
Long-billed (Gyps indicus) and white-rumped (Gyps bengalensis) species were among thousands of vultures who used to thrive in India until the 1990s, when farmers started administering drugs such as diclofenac, ketoprofen, and aceclofenac to cattle. These chemicals, highly toxic for vultures, led to a near-wipeout of their population as the birds ended up consuming them while feeding on cattle carcasses. The drugs were later prohibited from use in veterinary medicines.
Now, there are an estimated 6,000 long-billed vultures and around 3,000 white-rumped vultures left in India. To ensure their population does not dwindle further, BNHS established Vulture Care Centre in Haryana's Pinjore in 2002. The centre was later upgraded and renamed the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre in 2005.
"This inter-state transfer is a key milestone in the collaborative conservation efforts led by Central Zoo Authority in partnership with the forest departments of Haryana and Telangana, and Bombay Natural History Society," said Vivek Saxena, chief wildlife warden, Haryana.
Seven team members, including vulture keepers and veterinary doctors, are travelling to Hyderabad along with the vultures. The team which will receive them at their destination includes Dr G Babu Rao, senior biologist, Md Abdul Gaffar, junior veterinary officer, Sri Bushanam, head animal keeper and animal keeping staff members K Raja Kumar, S Pavan Kumar, Md Nizamuddin, and S Venkatramulu.
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