In News:

In a world-first milestone, five captive-bred Slender-billed Vultures (Gyps tenuirostris) along with five White-rumped Vultures (Gyps bengalensis) were released into the wild in the Biswanath Wildlife Division of Kaziranga National Park, Assam using the ‘Soft Release’ scientific method.

Slender-Billed Vulture

• The Slender-billed Vulture is an Old World scavenger bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae. It was earlier considered a subspecies of the Indian Vulture but is now recognised as a distinct species.
• It is primarily found in South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia, including northern and eastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia. In India, Assam is an important range area.
• Habitat: It inhabits savannas, open arid landscapes, dry deciduous forests and river valleys, generally at lower elevations.
• IUCN Status:Critically Endangered
• The species has a distinctive bare, elongated black head and narrow neck, along with a slender bill adapted for feeding on carcasses.

White-Rumped Vulture

• The White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) is the smallest among the Old WorldGypsvultures native to South and Southeast Asia. Its population experienced a catastrophic decline of over 99% within two decades, primarily because of veterinary drug toxicity.
• It occurs across parts of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, inhabiting open landscapes, grasslands, deciduous forests and agricultural areas.
• IUCN Status:Critically Endangered
• Its most distinctive feature is the prominent white patch on the lower back/rump, visible particularly during flight.

Major Conservation Concern

Both species are highly vulnerable to veterinary NSAIDs present in livestock carcasses. Drugs such as diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen and nimesulide can cause severe renal failure in vultures that consume contaminated carcasses.

The decline of vultures is ecologically significant because they are natural scavengers, helping rapidly remove animal carcasses and thereby contributing to ecosystem sanitation.

Soft Release Method

The release used a ‘Soft Release’ approach, in which captive-bred birds are gradually introduced into their natural environment rather than being released abruptly. This provides the birds an opportunity to acclimatise to local conditions before becoming fully independent.

The release of captive-bred birds therefore represents an important step towards restoring wild vulture populations and strengthening conservation efforts in Assam.