Tagged Indian vulture injured, rescued in Pakistan

Bhopal:Acinereousvulture, also known as black vulture, rescued and rehabilitated in Madhya Pradesh has been injured again, this time in Pakistan, after flying across the international border within days of its release.However,the tagged birdhas been rescued once more with strong coordination between authorities and environmentalists in the two countries.The aroundtwo-year-old femalevulturewas first rescued on January 22 fromParsuliavillage in theSusnerrange ofShajapurdistrict in an injured condition.It was brought to Van Vihar National Park, Bhopal,where it was stabilised at the quarantine facility with immediate veterinary intervention.On February 9, the bird was shifted to theVultureConservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) at Van Vihar, jointly managed with the Bombay Natural History Society, where it underwent intensive and protocol-based rehabilitation.At VCBC, thevulturewas scientifically documented andmonitored. It was fitted with a metal identification ring and a microchip, and underwent detailed clinical,behaviouraland morphometric assessments.The bird, initially suffering from a leg injury, gradually recovered under continuous veterinary supervision and was eventually declared "fit for release" based on scientific parameters.As part of post-release monitoring, thevulturewas fitted with a GPS–GSM telemetry device on March 25 in collaboration with WWF-India and BNHS. After a period of observation following tagging, it was released into the wild atHalaliDam in Raisen districtonMarch 30.Tracking dataindicatedthat thevulturemoved steadily northwest after release, traversingMadhya Pradeshand Rajasthan before crossing into Pakistan by April 6. The last recorded location of the bird was in the Khanewal area of Pakistan, after which the signal stopped. The coordinates wereimmediatelyshared with WWF-Pakistan for ground verification.WWF-Pakistan teams reached a village in Khanewal district and located thevulture, which was found injured on the ground. They informed Indian counterparts that a severe hailstorm had struck the Khanewal and Multan regions on April 7, likely forcing the bird to land.Acting on these inputs, coordinated efforts between officials in India and Pakistan helped trace thevultureto local farmers, who had spotted the grounded bird and alerted the District Wildlife Office. Pakistan's forest department, along with local police and conservation teams, rescued the bird and provided initial treatment before shifting it to the Changa MangaVultureCaptive Breeding Centre.Officials there reported that thevulturehad minor injuries but is stable and feeding normally.Officialsin Indiasaid the case highlights the role of scientific rehabilitation, tagging and real-time monitoring, as well as the importanceof internationalcoordination in conserving migratory species."The study provided key insights into migratory routes, habitat use and survival patterns, and highlighted challenges in cross-border conservation" said Vijay Kumar, Director Van Vihar NationalParkand Zoo.Thevultureremainsunder care in Pakistan and will be released back into the wild once fully recovered, state's chief wildlife warden SameetaRajoratold TOI.She said the present effort builds on an earlier success by the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at Van Vihar.In 2025, a rescued Eurasian GriffonVulturewas treated,taggedand released atHalaliDam on March 29.Tracking later revealed that the bird travelled over4,300 km, reaching its breeding grounds in Kazakhstan after passing through Pakistan,Afghanistanand Tajikistan, before returning to India in October.