Transfer of Critically Endangered Vultures to Kaziranga

In December 2025, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), approved the transfer of 30 White-rumped Vultures (Gyps bengalensis) and 5 Slender-billed Vultures (Gyps tenuirostris) from the Vulture Conservation & Breeding Centre, Rani (Guwahati) to the 6th Addition of Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve (NP&TR) under the Bishwanath Wildlife Division for scientific soft release into the wild.

Key Points

Status in Assam: Assam is India’s primary stronghold for slender-billed vultures, with breeding populations near Kaziranga.
Socio-cultural Importance: Vultures hold symbolic value as custodians of environmental balance in rural India.
They are associated with purity near cremation ghats and find mention in Hindu epics through figures like Jatayu and Sampati, symbolizing strength and vigilance.
Historical Population Crash: India’s vulture populations, once in the tens of millions, declined by over 97% between the mid-1990s and 2000s.
Diclofenac Poisoning: The veterinary NSAID diclofenac caused fatal kidney failure and visceral gout in vultures feeding on treated livestock carcasses.
Secondary Threats: Habitat loss, persecution, and other NSAIDs (aceclofenac, nimesulide) contribute additional pressure.