Jatayu Conservation Project: Reviving the Lost Vultures of Tadoba

Five white-rumped vultures have been reintroduced into the wild at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, under the Jatayu Conservation Project. The endeavor aims to reestablish the critically endangered species in the area. The project is jointly managed by Maharashtra Forest Department and Bombay Natural History Society.

In an ambitious conservation effort, five white-rumped vultures have been released into the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district. This marks the second batch of vultures reintroduced as part of the 'Jatayu Conservation Project', according to senior forest department officials.

The birds, consisting of three males and two females, were brought from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Haryana. They arrived at the pre-release aviary at Botezari in the Kolsa Range of TATR, as confirmed by TATR Core Zone deputy director Anand Reddy.

The project is a collaborative initiative of the Maharashtra Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) aimed at reviving the white-rumped vulture population in a landscape from which the species has vanished. Experts, including field director Dr. Prabhu Nath Shukla, are overseeing the rewilding process, closely monitoring the vultures' behavior and movements.

(With inputs from agencies.)