Assam carries out world's first release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures
2-minute summary
Assam achieved a landmark global conservation milestone with the world's first-ever release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures (Gyps tenuirostris) into the wild. Five captive-bred slender-billed vultures and five white-rumped vultures (Gyps bengalensis) were released at the Jatayu Soft Release Centre in the Biswanath Division of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The birds were reared at the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) at Rani near Guwahati, managed by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department. The release follows a three-month acclimatization process in a soft-release aviary. Over the past two decades, India’s Gyps vulture populations collapsed by over 99% primarily due to toxic veterinary painkillers such as diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen, and nimesulide. Although the central government has banned these veterinary NSAIDs, secondary pesticide poisoning—where vultures feed on livestock carcasses poisoned to kill stray dogs—remains a severe localized threat, causing over 700 vulture deaths in Assam since 2018.
Why it's in the news
Assam and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) carried out the world's first release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures into the wild at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. This marks a major success for long-term ex-situ vulture breeding and reintroduction programs in India.
Background and context
During the 1990s and early 2000s, India experienced a catastrophic decline of over 99% in its vulture population—one of the fastest avian declines in recorded history. The primary culprit was identified as Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) widely administered to cattle. When vultures fed on cattle carcasses treated with diclofenac, it caused visceral gout and renal failure in the birds. Vultures are crucial obligate scavengers that keep ecosystems clean by rapidly consuming animal carcasses, thereby controlling disease vectors such as feral dogs and rabies outbreaks. To reverse the extinction threat, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), along with BNHS, established Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres across India, including the Rani facility in Assam set up around 2007. The ban on diclofenac in 2006 and subsequent bans on aceclofenac, ketoprofen, and nimesulide aimed to create safe foraging zones for reintroduced birds.
Constitutional provisions
- Article 48A — Directive Principle of State Policy directing the State to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
- Article 51A(g) — Fundamental Duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.
Government schemes
- Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025 — Outlines conservation strategies including setting up new Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres, establishing Vulture Safe Zones (VSZ), banning toxic veterinary drugs, and reintroducing captive-bred species.
International organisations
- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) — Categorizes the Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) and White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) as 'Critically Endangered' on the Red List of Threatened Species.
- BirdLife International — Global partnership of conservation organizations (including BNHS) advocating for the protection of threatened bird species and their habitats.
Mains practice: Discuss the ecological significance of vultures as natural scavengers and examine the factors responsible for their rapid population decline in India. Highlight the key policy and conservation interventions taken so far.
Vultures are essential obligate scavengers in terrestrial ecosystems, occupying a critical niche in energy transfer and sanitation. In India, three endemic Gyps species—the White-rumped, Indian, and Slender-billed vultures—faced a catastrophic population drop of over 99% over two decades, triggering significant ecological imbalances.
• Ecological Significance:
- Disease Prevention: By disposing of decaying animal carcasses rapidly, vultures prevent the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria like anthrax and tuberculosis.
- Vector Control: Vulture decline led to a surge in feral dog populations, causing an increase in rabies cases across rural and semi-urban areas.
- Nutrient Cycling: Scavenging accelerates the breakdown of organic matter and returns nutrients to the soil and ecosystem.
• Factors Responsible for Population Decline:
- Veterinary NSAIDs: Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug given to livestock, causes fatal visceral renal failure in Gyps vultures upon feeding on treated carcasses. Subsequent drugs like Aceclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Nimesulide had similar toxic effects.
- Secondary Pesticide Poisoning: Deliberate or accidental retaliatory poisoning targeting stray predators or feral dogs using organophosphate pesticides leads to mass mortality when vultures feed on toxic carcasses.
- Habitat Loss and Nest Destruction: Loss of large nesting trees due to urbanization and forestry operations.
• Key Policy and Conservation Interventions:
- Regulatory Bans: Central government banned veterinary Diclofenac in 2006, followed by bans on Aceclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Nimesulide.
- Ex-Situ Breeding: Establishment of Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres (VCBC) by BNHS and State Forest Departments (e.g., Rani in Assam, Pinjore in Haryana).
- Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (2020-2025): MoEFCC initiative focusing on Vulture Safe Zones (VSZ), monitoring drug misuse, and reintroduction programs.
- Landmark Reintroductions: Soft-release programs such as the recent milestone release of captive-bred Slender-billed vultures in Kaziranga.
Conclusion:
To ensure the long-term survival of reintroduced vultures, rigorous enforcement of drug bans, community awareness against pesticide misuse, and expanding Vulture Safe Zones are imperative to rebuild healthy vulture populations in India.
Prelims practice questions
Q1. Which of the following veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been associated with renal failure and population decline in Gyps vultures in India? 1. Diclofenac 2. Aceclofenac 3. Ketoprofen 4. Nimesulide Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3 only
- 3 and 4 only
- 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: D. All four listed veterinary NSAIDs—Diclofenac, Aceclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Nimesulide—have been identified as toxic to Gyps vultures causing renal failure, leading to regulatory bans by the Indian government.
Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris): 1. It is currently categorized as 'Critically Endangered' under the IUCN Red List. 2. Assam recorded the world's first release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures into the wild. 3. The species is an obligate scavenger endemic exclusively to the high-altitude Himalayan snow peaks. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Slender-billed vultures are Critically Endangered, and Assam recorded the world's first release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures at Kaziranga. Statement 3 is incorrect as they inhabit open country, lowlands, and forest edges across northern and northeastern India and parts of Southeast Asia, not exclusively high-altitude snow peaks.
Q3. With reference to bird conservation initiatives in India, the 'Jatayu Soft Release Centre' recently seen in the news is located in which of the following Protected Areas?
- Manas National Park
- Gir National Park
- Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
- Jim Corbett National Park
Answer: C. The Jatayu Soft Release Centre is situated in the Biswanath Division of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam, where captive-bred vultures were recently released into the wild.
Revision flashcards
- What is the IUCN conservation status of the Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)? Critically Endangered (CR).
- Which non-governmental organization manages the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) at Rani, Assam, in collaboration with the state forest department? Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
- Where was the world's first release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures carried out? Jatayu Soft Release Centre, Biswanath Division, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Assam.
- What is the primary cause of visceral gout and renal failure in Gyps vultures in South Asia? Ingestion of toxic veterinary drugs (NSAIDs) such as Diclofenac, Aceclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Nimesulide through livestock carcasses.
- What major non-pharmaceutical threat has caused widespread accidental vulture deaths in Assam in recent years? Secondary pesticide poisoning from carcasses deliberately laced with organophosphates to target stray or feral dogs.