Nagpur, India: Maharashtra will soon receive 35 more vultures to boost conservation efforts. These Long-billed and White-rumped vultures will be placed in Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) and Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR). The Maharashtra Forest Department, along with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), is leading this effort.

Last year, 20 vultures were brought from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) in Pinjore and released in Pench and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). Some adapted well to the wild, encouraging officials to bring in more vultures this year.

BNHS Director Kishor Rithe confirmed that an aviary is being built in Melghat and will be ready in a week. “We will first keep the vultures in captivity so they can adjust to the new environment. Once they are ready, we will release them into the wild,” he said.

To track their movements, BNHS had tagged the vultures released last year. Some stayed in Pench, while others flew to different states. However, a few did not survive.

India has four vulture breeding centers in West Bengal, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam. These centers have successfully bred over 750 vultures and have been releasing them into the wild since 2020. In Haryana, eight vultures were released, and five survived, with two successfully nesting in the Shivalik hills. Similar projects have taken place in West Bengal and Maharashtra.

With this new batch of vultures, experts hope to continue rebuilding the vulture population in Maharashtra.