Vulture Soft Release in Kaziranga: Assam World-First
Why in the news
A world-first release took place in Assam: five Slender-billed and five White-rumped Vultures bred in captivity were freed through the Soft Release approach inside Kaziranga National Park, in its Biswanath Wildlife Division.
Key facts
- Soft Release method used for 10 captive-bred birds.
- Location: Biswanath Wildlife Division, Kaziranga National Park, Assam.
- Both species are Critically Endangered (IUCN).
- Protection: Schedule I, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
| Aspect | Slender-billed | White-rumped |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Gyps tenuirostris | Gyps bengalensis |
| Distinct feature | Black head, shiny slender beak, cream leg feathering | White rump patch, whitish neck ruff, 12 tail feathers |
| Range | Sub-Himalayan belt of north and east India (Assam especially), plus Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia | Northern and central India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh |
| Habitat note | Avoids dense human habitation | Lives close to human settlements |
About the two species
- Slender-billed Vulture was once treated as a subspecies of the Indian Vulture (Long-billed Vulture); now a separate species.
- White-rumped Vulture is the smallest Old World Gyps vulture; most other Gyps species have 14 tail feathers.
- Both are highly vulnerable to kidney failure from NSAID-treated livestock carcasses (diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen, nimesulide).
Vulture crisis
- Diclofenac given to cattle caused visceral gout and kidney failure in scavenging vultures.
- Veterinary diclofenac was banned in 2006; ketoprofen and aceclofenac were restricted later.
- Fewer vultures meant more feral dogs and rats, raising rabies and carcass-borne disease.
Conservation framework
- Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (2020–2025).
- Breeding centres at Pinjore (Haryana), Rajabhatkhawa (West Bengal) and Rani (Assam), run with the Bombay Natural History Society.
- Vulture Safe Zones.
Exam angle
- Smallest Old World Gyps vulture: White-rumped.
- Drug behind the collapse: diclofenac; safe alternative: meloxicam.
- Ecosystem service lost: carcass clearance.