BNHS releases 5 captive-bred slender-billed vultures in Kaziranga National Park
Big news for wildlife lovers: five slender-billed vultures, bred at Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)'s Assam facility, just got their first taste of freedom in Kaziranga National Park.
This marks the world's first release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures.
Assam's Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah was there to witness the event, making it a pretty special moment.
Acclimatized in Tewaripal aviary, white-rumped tagged
Before heading out, the vultures spent three months getting used to their surroundings in a vulture-release aviary in Biswanath's Tewaripal area.
Alongside them, five white-rumped vultures were also released and tagged so experts can keep track as they join wild colonies.
India's vulture numbers have dropped by 99% over two decades, due to the use of veterinary painkiller drugs, so BNHS has collaborated with the State's Forest Department on the vulture breeding conservation program since 2007.