Injured Endangered Vulture with Dhaka Inscription Found in Jharkhand Dam

An injured white-backed vulture, an endangered species, was discovered in Jharkhand's Konar Dam. It bore a metal ring inscribed with 'Dhaka' and a tracking device. The bird is believed to have been released by John Malot of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds. Authorities are investigating.

An injured vulture of an endangered species, with 'Dhaka' inscribed on a metallic ring fitted to one of its legs, was found in a dam in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district, police said.

The white-backed vulture, listed under Schedule 1 of endangered species, was spotted by fishermen in Konar Dam waters on Monday. They promptly informed forest and police officials, who were accompanied by Intelligence Bureau sleuths to the spot.

Upon inspection, authorities discovered an inscription 'gpobox-2624, Dhaka, b67' and a tracking device attached to the bird. A note stating 'If found, please contact john.malot@rspb.org.uk...' was also found. The forest officials subsequently took the vulture for treatment and will keep it under observation.

Police suspect that the bird was released by a Dhaka-based bird researcher named John Malot, affiliated with the UK-based Royal Society for Protection of Birds, to track its movement from Dhaka to Jharkhand. 'Though no foul play is suspected, further investigation is underway,' said an officer, denying any link with the unrest in Bangladesh.

(With inputs from agencies.)