Two long-billed vultures raised in captivity at Nagpur’s Pench Tiger Reserve have survived 15 months in the wild after being released, giving a big boost to India’s vulture conservation efforts, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) said.
Out of 10 trained vultures released, only N01 and N24 survived. Born in Haryana’s Pinjore breeding centre, they were brought to Pench and released in August 2024 after six months of training.
BNHS said their survival proves that captive-bred vultures can successfully adapt to the wild. Both birds have travelled across Pench in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, feeding on tiger kills and other natural food sources.
India’s Gyps vultures remain critically endangered, with only 15,000–19,000 left. BNHS has released over 70 vultures across West Bengal, Haryana and Maharashtra so far.
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