BNHS TO RELEASE 6 CRITICALLY ENDANGERED VULTURES IN ASSAM

NEWS: The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)—India’s premier wildlife research organization àwill release six captive-bred critically endangered vulturesàsignificant because India suffered one of the world’s fastest vulture declines in the 1990s–2000s

Why Kamrup and Biswanath Districts?

• These districts fall within the natural range of these species.
• Small existing flocks already live here → helps social integration.
• Biswanath is close to Kaziranga National Parkà ideal habitat conditions.

About the Species Being Released

• Slender-billed Vulture: Found mainly in Assam & Northeast IndiaàCritically Endangered (IUCN)
• White-rumped Vulture: Found across India, among the most endangered vulture species globally, Critically Endangered (IUCN)

Decline of Vultures in India

• Veterinary painkiller diclofenac caused kidney failure in vultures feeding on carcasses.
  • Population dropped by over 95% (1990s–2000s).
• Habitat loss
• Food scarcity
• Electrocution & collision with power lines
• Illegal wildlife trade

Conservation Efforts (BNHS + partners)

The program is supported by:

• Royal Society for the Protection of
• Birds (RSPB), UK
• Assam Forest Department
• Local communities