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This is the first-ever release of captive-bred, critically endangered vultures in the Northeast. Five more vultures will be released in Kaziranga in the coming months
All the vultures are tagged and ringed for identification and monitoring. Image/News18
In a landmark step for wildlife conservation, ten critically endangered white-rumped vultures, six of them captive-bred, were released into the wild in Assam, marking the first-ever reintroduction of the species in the Northeast. This is a crucial moment in India’s efforts to revive the dwindling population of these magnificent, yet critically endangered birds.
Out of the ten birds, six were bred and hatched in captivity at the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) in Rani, Assamwhile four were rescued, treated, and restored to good health before being returned to the wilderness. They are sub-adults, aged between three and four years, and were initially kept in a pre-release aviary in Nalapara, under the Rani range, in order to acclimatise them to the wild. This was also done to enable their interaction with free-ranging birds, which were drawn near the pre-release aviary by offering food.
On Thursday morning, the gates of the aviary were quietly lifted with the help of a pulley located at a hide about 100 metres away, as cameras captured the slow movement of the birds. Assam’s Special Secretary of Forests and Environment, MK Yadav, released the vultures in the presence of officials from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), as well as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which has been providing financial support for the project in Assam.
All the vultures are tagged and ringed for identification and monitoring. According to the team at BNHS, the tags are solar-powered and will provide information on the whereabouts of the birds to enable 24/7 monitoring. “We expect the birds to move around in the next few months, and possibly fly to neighbouring states like West Bengal and Meghalaya, and countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. The next six months will be very crucial for them and will also tell us how safe the environment is in the surrounding region,” said team officials. “We are hopeful that they will now join the free-ranging wild birds and learn to defend themselves and find food.”
The VCBC will continue to provide food to the vultures just outside the aviary to keep their movement confined close to the centre.
Kaziranga prepares for release of five more
This is the first-ever reintroduction of white-rumped vultures from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Rani, Assam, which was established in 2007. The centre currently accommodates as many as 138 white-rumped vultures and 56 slender-billed vultures.
It is also a phase of the historic release, as reported by CNN-News18 in December 2025, and the second phase will commence in the coming months.
“We are now gearing up for the release of five more critically endangered vultures in Assam. On Friday, as many as five slender-billed vultures will be shifted to the pre-release aviary near Kaziranga in the Biswanath district of Assam, from where they will be released in the next few months,” said Dr Sachin Ranade, Senior Scientist and Deputy Director, BNHS.
The disappearing vultures
India began captive-breeding vultures after their numbers plummeted due to the widespread use of the cattle drug diclofenac, which pushed the species to the brink of extinction. The drug leads to fatal poisoning among vultures. The goal now is to reintroduce these magnificent birds to the forests they once called home.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the three Gyps species—the long-billed vulture, the white-backed vulture, and the slender-billed vulture—as “critically endangered,” warranting immediate conservation measures.
As the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen, and nimesulide among cattle, as well as pesticides, remains a pressing concern, the BNHS team, along with members from the RSPB and the Assam Forest Department, is currently working with local communities in Assam to create awareness about vultures and their ecological importance.
March 19, 2026, 8:47 PM IST
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