White-Rumped Vulture Electrocuted at Mudumalai: Key Notes
Why in the news
A vulture bred in captivity and fitted with a radio tag died after touching a power line in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris. The loss ended a first-of-its-kind release attempt in South India.
Key facts
- Incident: electrocuted on Sunday, 28 June 2026, at Ebbanad village, overlooking the Sigur plateau, near Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
- Origin: released at Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) in December 2025 as one of 34 birds BNHS set free across Pench, Melghat and Tadoba-Andhari.
- Journey: drifted into Karnataka, was caught and treated for illness, then moved to Mudumalai in April 2026 with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s permission.
- Why Mudumalai: it holds the last sizeable white-rumped vulture population in South India.
- Outcome: the bird failed to settle, wandering to Gudalur, Kalhatty and Ebbanad; its death is expected to shape future conservation policy.
| White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal protection in India | Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 |
| Trade listing | CITES Appendix II |
| Red List category | Critically Endangered since 2000 |
| Decline | Over 99% in South Asia since the 1990s |
| Main cause | Diclofenac and other veterinary NSAIDs |
| Diet and breeding | Carrion only; breeds October-April, one nestling a year |
About Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
- In the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (India’s first, 1986).
- Adjoins Bandipur and Nagarhole in Karnataka and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala.
- Moyar Valley is a key vulture stronghold.
BNHS and Jatayu centres
- Bombay Natural History Society: founded 1883, based at Hornbill House, Mumbai; an NGO and BirdLife International partner; first documented vulture decline in 1999.
- Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centres: Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Rani (Assam), Rajabhatkhawa (West Bengal) and Pinjore (Haryana).
Why vultures matter
- Scavengers that clear carcasses and curb diseases such as anthrax and rabies.
- Their fall led to more feral dogs and more rabies cases.
Conservation steps
- Vulture Action Plan 2020-2025 by MoEFCC, Vulture Safe Zones free of diclofenac, and soft-release of slender-billed vultures in the Kaziranga landscape in March 2026.
Exam angle
- Scientific name Gyps bengalensis; Critically Endangered; Schedule I.
- Cause of decline: diclofenac.
- Number and sites of Jatayu centres: four.