Injured Vulture Found in Southern India, is back to the Wild, from the Captive Care of 5 Years

Back in the year, 2017, vulture was found injured in Kanyakumari, the southernmost district of India. At that the southern peninsular India, was being battered by the Cyclone Ochi, the then juvenile vulture is stated to have lost its way and has sustained injury, thus necessitating captive treatment.

Cinereous vulture are giant bird, which are found in parts of Asia as well as Europe, it is known to live large groups and it is capable of high-altitude flight and it can also do long distances. But the above bird, due to its injury, it was forced to be lonely and confined to cage.

During the last five years, the bird has been under the care of Udhayagiri Zoo and was being treated by the Forest department of officials of Tamil Nadu. The bird has now fully recuperated and understood and is capable of living in the wild, the officials led by Supriya Sahu, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment & Forests, Govt of Tamil Nadu took measures to re-wild the bird, by taking steps to rehabilitate it to its natural ways.

Considering the requirements and existing natural habitats of the Cinereous Vultures in India, it has been chosen that the bird would be rehabilitated in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, nearly 2600kms away from Kanyakumari Jodhpur offered a unique advantage of supporting a considerable population of this species, given how the city had dumping grounds where cattle carcasses were disposed, thus offering food for scavengers. With the nod from the relevant authorities in Rajasthan, it was decided to transport the bird.

However, moving by road or rail would have meant up to 5 five days of travel and caused considerable stress to the bird. Hence the bird has been moved from Kanyakumari to Chennai via road, a distance of 600 kms. Thereafter, the bird has been cared at the zoo in Chennai and then taken on an Indian Airlines aircraft to Jodhpur, via Delhi. In all, the bird has been able to travel a distance of about 2.600 kms this week, as part of the rehabilitation efforts.

In Jodhpur, the bird would be cared at the local zoo and its acclimation to the conditions there would be monitored closely. Very soon, the bird would be released into the wild and it would join its feathered friend and family. As a matter of precaution and study the efficacy of the re-wilding effort, Forest officials would be tagging the bird in order to understand its whereabouts and keep a close watch on its health.