In a major boost to India’s vulture conservation mission, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has authorised the transfer of 30 White-rumped Vultures (Gyps bengalensis) and 5 Slender-billed Vultures (Gyps tenuirostris) from the Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre, Rani, Guwahati, to the 6th Addition of Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve in the Bishwanath Wildlife Division. This clearance sets the stage for the country’s first release of captive-reared individuals from these critically endangered species.
Assam continues to be the strongest remaining habitat for the slender-billed vulture in India, supporting its last significant breeding groups, especially around Kaziranga. However, their numbers remain fragile, largely due to recurring poisoning incidents linked to pesticide-laced livestock carcasses. White-rumped vultures, also spread across the state, have suffered similar declines. The breeding centre at Rani, Kamrup, now functions as one of India’s most important facilities for sustaining and multiplying captive populations of these threatened birds.
Reasons Behind the Decline
- Once abundant across India, vulture populations crashed drastically, by more than 97% between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. By 2007, the white-rumped vulture population had dropped to approximately 11,000, and slender-billed vultures to about 1,000, representing the steepest recorded decline for any bird species in modern science.
- Current estimates from 2023–2025 show only slight stabilisation, with slender-billed vultures still limited to 750–1,000 birds.
- The near-extinction of vultures was primarily triggered by the veterinary drug diclofenac, widely used on livestock. Vultures feeding on carcasses of treated animals developed fatal kidney failure and visceral gout. Even contamination in 1% of carcasses was enough to wipe out entire populations. The drug’s use across India, Nepal, and Pakistan accounted for nearly all vulture deaths during the peak crisis years. Although diclofenac has been banned for veterinary use since 2006, populations remain critically low with no substantial recovery yet.
- Additional pressures, such as habitat loss, other toxic NSAIDs, and sporadic persecution, further weakened populations.
- The ecological side effects of vulture decline were severe: rising feral dog numbers, increased rabies outbreaks, and an estimated half a million excess human deaths between 2000 and 2005 due to inefficient carcass disposal.
About White-rumped Vultures
- The White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) is one of South Asia’s most iconic scavenger birds and a key contributor to ecological hygiene through rapid carcass disposal.
- The species is now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
- White-rumped Vultures typically inhabit open forests, agricultural landscapes, and areas close to human settlements, nesting in large colonies on tall trees.
- Conservation breeding, safe zones, and NSAID-free veterinary practices are central to ongoing efforts to restore their numbers in the wild.
About Slender-billed Vultures
- The Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) is among the rarest vultures globally, historically found across the Gangetic plains and Southeast Asia. Distinguished by its long, narrow bill and elongated neck, it is adapted for efficient scavenging in forested and semi-open landscapes.
- Today, it is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with surviving breeding groups concentrated mainly in Assam. With fewer than a thousand individuals estimated in the wild, conservation breeding, habitat protection, and stringent restrictions on harmful veterinary drugs remain crucial for its survival.
