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The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which has successfully bred much than 800 vultures successful its conservation breeding centres across India, is present preparing to release six vultures successful Assam in January 2026.
BNHS scientists connected Thursday (December 4, 2025) said they are finalising the dates to merchandise 3 antheral and arsenic galore pistillate slender-billed and white-rumped vultures, aged betwixt 2 and 3 years, successful Assam’s Kamrup and Biswanath districts. They were bred astatine BNHS Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre successful Rani, Kamrup district.
About the enactment of Kamrup and Biswanath districts arsenic the determination to merchandise the vultures, BNHA Senior Scientist and Assistant Director Dr. Sachin Ranade explained, “These locations autumn wrong the earthy scope of vultures wherever determination are already a small flock of them and Biswanath is person to Kaziranga National Park.”
“The vultures volition beryllium kept determination for a minimum of 3 months to acquisition the surrounding quality and adapt. During this time, they will observe other scavengers and go acquainted with the environment. Since they person been bred successful captivity — adjacent though the enclosures are ample — this volition beryllium their archetypal acquisition of existent wilderness.”
Slender-billed vultures astatine BNHS Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre successful the Rani country of Kamrup district. | Photo Credit: Asad Rahmani
“Vultures unrecorded successful flocks, attain maturity aft the property of five, and tin unrecorded up to 50 to 60 years. They person precocious immunity and bash not easy drawback infections oregon diseases,” the BNHS scientists said. The laminitis banal (parents of these vultures) was collected from different parts of Assam. Dr. Ranade said the slender-billed vulture is mainly found in Assam, whereas white-rumped vultures are recovered crossed India.
Currently, India is location to astir 20,000 vultures crossed 9 species, including bearded vulture, griffon vulture, and cinereous vulture. The endangered taxon are the Egyptian vulture and the Himalayan griffon vulture, portion the critically endangered taxon see the red-headed vulture, white-rumped vulture, long-billed vulture, and slender-billed vulture.
The scientists are moving with section communities to prevention vultures successful their earthy habitats.
The BNHS team, supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Assam Forest Department, has been moving for much than 15 years to hole the crushed for the release. They are conducting village-level meetings and educating villagers astir vultures and their importance.
Problems specified arsenic the usage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) similar diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen and nimesulide, and pesticides were highlighted during the acquisition campaign. Dr. Ranade explained, “They and their assistants (paravets), who handle the medicine for livestock, play a invaluable role. We are requesting them to advocator and usage lone vulture-safe medicines similar meloxicam and tolfenamic acid successful cattle treatment, truthful the cattle and their carcasses bash not person immoderate harmful residues for vultures.”
“In Assam, predominant incidents of poison baiting person been reported, wherever locals sprayed pesticides connected cattle carcasses to termination stray dogs. Vultures feeding on these carcasses autumn unfortunate to poisoning, which has delayed the merchandise of captive-bred vultures into the wild,” he stated.
Kishor Rithe, the Director of BNHS, said, “BNHS run is very important as it volition determine the occurrence of the vulture release programme. We are thankful for the progressive information of the Forest Department of Assam and the Animal Husbandry Department successful the mission.”
Dr. Ranade said, “The vultures released will serve the communal cattle owners, farmers and radical of Assam. By feeding on the cattle carcasses, they volition power the contamination caused by rotten carcasses and the dispersed of assorted diseases. Rebuilding the earthy nutrient concatenation successful the ecosystem is astir important for the endurance of the vultures to beryllium released arsenic good arsenic the chaotic vultures. Nowadays, Assam is the lone stronghold of the slender-billed vultures successful India. Saving this taxon volition beryllium the astir important enactment successful conservation for the planetary population.”
