Bengaluru: For a species hanging on by a thread, the return of one young vulture to the skies has brought a rare ray of hope to Ramanagara in Bengaluru South district, home to India’s first vulture sanctuary. A six-month-old Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus), one of only three known vultures surviving in the Ramanagara landscape, has been rescued after a failed landing, nursed back to health and successfully released into the wild after suffering a serious leg injury.The successful release, carried out by the People for Animals (PfA) Wildlife Hospital, Bengaluru, in coordination with the Karnataka Forest Department last week, comes amid the alarming decline of vulture populations across India. Classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, Indian Vultures are among the key scavenging bird species in the country, and every surviving bird is considered vital to the species’ recovery, according to veterinarians and forest officials who monitored the young bird over the past two months.
A six-month-old Indian Vulture, classified as a Critically Endangered species, was rescued and treated for a leg injury by PfA veterinarians before being successfully released into the wild at the Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary in Ramanagara, Bengaluru South district.
Sources in the Forest Department told TOI that the vulture was spotted by patrolling staff in the first week of June, limping with an apparent leg injury. “We immediately alerted the PfA’s Quick Reaction Rescue Team as the bird was unable to move. The team subsequently rescued the bird and shifted it to their hospital in Bengaluru,” said a Forest Department official from Bengaluru South.At the PfA Wildlife Hospital, a detailed clinical examination and digital radiography revealed that the young vulture had suffered a hairline fracture involving the femoral head of its left leg. “For a young vulture that depends on its powerful legs for movement and survival, the injury could have been devastating. Improper healing could have resulted in limb shortening and impaired mobility, potentially leaving the bird unable to survive in the wild,” said a PfA volunteer.Colonel Dr Navaz Shariff, Chief Wildlife Veterinarian at the PfA hospital, said the bird’s status as one of only three known vultures remaining in the landscape made its recovery particularly critical. “Considering that this injured vulture was one of the three last remaining in the landscape and that the survival of every individual is critical to the species, we opted for conventional fracture management followed by an intensive rehabilitation programme. During two months of treatment and rehabilitation, the bird underwent veterinary care, physical rehabilitation and progressive assessments to restore its mobility, strength and ability to fly long distances and at greater heights,” he said.Before its release, the vulture underwent a flight assessment and was found to be clinically and behaviourally fit to return to its natural habitat. Forest officials subsequently identified one of the tallest hillocks in the region for its release. Released from its enclosure on Thursday evening, the vulture initially perched along the cliff before taking flight.
A six-month-old Indian Vulture, classified as a Critically Endangered species, was rescued and treated for a leg injury by PfA veterinarians before being successfully released into the wild at the Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary in Ramanagara, Bengaluru South district.
“He perched on the hillock for a few minutes before taking off again. He remained airborne for 15 to 20 minutes before landing on another hillock. Interestingly, an Egyptian Vulture that had been released in the region a few years ago was also spotted near the Indian Vulture,” a Forest Department official said.Close monitoring over the following days brought further encouraging signs, with the young vulture observed flying normally and feeding near its nesting area.Vultures are among nature’s most efficient keystone scavengers, playing a crucial ecological role by rapidly disposing of animal carcasses and helping maintain ecosystem hygiene. Their dramatic decline has had far-reaching ecological consequences.Indian Vulture populations suffered catastrophic declines across the Indian subcontinent, largely due to the veterinary drug diclofenac, which is highly toxic to vultures when they feed on carcasses of treated livestock. While stringent regulations on the veterinary use of diclofenac and greater awareness have helped raise hopes of recovery, conservationists caution that the species remains critically depleted and vulnerable.
