Mumbai

In a major boost to vulture conservation efforts, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has released 15 critically endangered Indian vultures into the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, officials said on Tuesday.

The birds were translocated from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at Pinjore and shifted to the Somthana Range of Melghat in Amravati district on April 23 last year. Following their relocation, they were housed in a pre-release aviary to allow them to gradually adapt to the local environment.

As part of post-release monitoring, all the vultures were fitted with GSM and satellite tracking devices on December 19, 2025, enabling scientists to closely observe their movement patterns and survival in the wild.

The soft-release process commenced on January 2, when the aviary gates were remotely opened and food was placed outside the enclosure to encourage the birds to venture out naturally, officials said.

BNHS conservation biologist Bhaskar Das said the programme encountered several challenges, including limited availability of safe food, the absence of an existing vulture population that could guide the captive-bred birds, and the continued presence of toxic veterinary drugs in the surrounding landscape.

“These issues were addressed by setting up feeding stations and sourcing safe cattle carcasses through active collaboration with gaushalas,” Das said.

The release exercise was carried out by BNHS Director Kishor Rithe along with Somthana Range Forest Officer Vinil Hatwar, in the presence of Assistant Conservator of Forests Ganesh Tekade and with the support of BNHS staff.

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“Melghat has historically been a stronghold of long-billed vultures. We hope these birds will once again learn to thrive here,” Rithe said.