BISWANATH, Aug 8: Assam recorded a major milestone in vulture conservation with the soft release of 10 captive-bred vultures into their natural habitat, in what conservation authorities described as a global first.
Five slender-billed vultures and five white-rumped vultures were released on Thursday from the Jatayu Soft Release Centre at Tewaripal in Biswanath district, according to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
The birds were bred under a joint conservation programme of the Assam Forest Department and BNHS, which has been running since 2007. They were shifted about three months ago from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at Rani to the release aviary in Biswanath for acclimatisation before their introduction to the wild.
The release came amid a severe decline in India’s vulture population. Gyps vultures, including white-rumped and slender-billed vultures, suffered population losses of about 99 per cent over two decades, largely due to poisoning linked to veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), particularly diclofenac.
The use of diclofenac in veterinary treatment was subsequently banned, while restrictions were also imposed on drugs including aceclofenac, ketoprofen and nimesulide.
Vultures in Assam also face the risk of secondary poisoning from pesticides used on livestock carcasses, an important part of their natural food supply.
The dedicated release aviary at Biswanath was established by Kaziranga National Park to facilitate the scientific reintroduction of captive-bred vultures into the wild. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, Biswanath MLA Pallab Lochan Das and senior forest officials attended the release.
Officials opened the aviary remotely using a pulley system to avoid disturbing the birds. Their movements were monitored from a CCTV-equipped tower.
Each bird was fitted with a numbered blue leg ring and a tag on its back to enable researchers and forest officials to track its movements after release.
BNHS urged livestock owners and the public to avoid banned veterinary NSAIDs and refrain from spraying pesticides on animal carcasses. It also appealed to people who spot tagged vultures to report sightings to the Forest Department or BNHS to help assess the success of the reintroduction programme.
