34 vultures to be translocated to Vidarbha tiger reserves
Nagpur: Maharashtra's forests will be home to 34 endangered vultures, courtesy the
Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre
(JCBC) in Pinjore, Haryana. On World Earth Day, these
endangered vultures
were brought to Maharashtra under a rewilding initiative and will be released in three different forest reserves of Vidarbha.
According to Kishore Rithe, director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), this group of vultures include 20 long-billed and 14 White-rumped vultures. They will be translocated into three tiger reserves of Vidarbha — Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, and Pench.
"The transfer on April 22 represents a crucial initiative to restore central India's critically endangered vulture populations. The selected birds, ranging from two to six years-olds, underwent thorough health assessments to confirm their suitability for wild release," Rithe said.
The translocation includes five vultures earmarked for the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, 14 for the Pench Tiger Reserve, and 15 for the Melghat Tiger Reserve. While Tadoba and Pench received vultures in the first phase of the project, the endangered birds will be introduced in Melghat for the first time. The translocation across these three locations will help to maintain a balanced sex ratio and support natural breeding and ecological equilibrium.
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Individual wooden boxes were used to transport each vulture, ensuring minimal stress and optimal safety. Following standard procedures, feeding was suspended two days before transportation. The birds were transported in an air-conditioned vehicle which provided suitable temperature and ventilation conditions.
Range forest officer (RFO) Rundan Katkar from Kolsa, TATR led the team, supported by PTR veterinarian Dr Mayank Barde, BNHS senior biologist Manan Mahadev, and two forest guards from TATR and PTR.
The operation received guidance from Haryana's chief wildlife warden Vivek Saxena, Maharashtra's chief wildlife warden & PCCF (wildlife) Srinivasa Rao and BNHS director Kishor Rithe.
BNHS manages four Jatayu conservation breeding centres nationwide, partnering with state govts in Pinjore, Bhopal, Rajabhatkhawa and Rani, Guwahati. Since 2004, this programme has successfully bred over 700 birds with support from various governmental and conservation organizations.
Maharashtra's forest department established pre-release aviaries in three Vidarbha region tiger reserves for soft release protocol implementation. The birds are scheduled to arrive at their respective aviaries within two days.
Field directors Prabhunath Shukla (TATR), Kishor Mankar (PTR) and Adarsh Reddy (MTR) supervised aviary preparations. Deputy conservator of forests Anand Reddy (TATR), Bharat Hada (PTR), and N Jeykumaran (MTR) coordinated the birds' safe transport to Maharashtra.
(Inputs by Mazhar Ali)
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