Assam Releases Captive-Bred Slender-Billed Vultures at Kaziranga

Assam records the world’s first-ever release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures (Gyps tenuirostris). Five captive-bred vultures from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) conservation facility in Assam are released at the Jatayu Soft Release Centre in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

Captive-Bred Slender-Billed Vultures Release:

Dimension	Key Details
Population decline (India)	The population of Gyps vultures in India has declined by 99% over the last 20 years due to the use of veterinary painkillers.
Drug ban	The Centre bans four veterinary painkiller drugs: diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen, and nimesulide.
Threat in Assam	Pesticide poisoning remains a threat to vultures in Assam.
Distribution	The slender-billed vulture is an Old-World vulture species native to sub-Himalayan regions and Southeast Asia.
IUCN status	The slender-billed vulture is Critically Endangered since 2002.
Taxonomic naming note	The slender-billed vulture is used to be the Indian vulture under the name “long-billed vulture”.
Distinction from Indian vulture	The Indian vulture is found only to the south of the Ganges and breeds on cliffs, while the slender-billed vulture is found along and nests in trees.
Distribution (India)	The slender-billed vulture is found in India from the Gangetic plain north, west to Himachal Pradesh, south potentially as far as northern Odisha, and east through Assam.
Movement	Slender-billed vultures typically are sedentary birds, and do not tend to travel large distances nor migrate for any reason.
BNHS profile	Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), founded in 1883, is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research.
Asian Waterbird Census	The Asian waterbird census is an annual exercise undertaken in India by BNHS in association with Wetlands International, and it is a part of the International waterbird census.
BNHS and BirdLife International	BNHS is the partner of BirdLife International in India.
BirdLife International	It is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats, and it is the official International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List authority for birds.
BirdLife International programmes	BirdLife International has 9 conservation programmes implemented across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific; these include the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas Programme, Marine Programme, Preventing Extinctions Programme, and Flyways Programme.
Wetlands International	It is a global organisation that works to sustain and restore wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity, and it is supported by government and NGO membership from around the world.