BHOPAL: While the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan remain severely strained, timely inter-country collaboration between wildlife conservationists in the two neighbouring nations, has saved the life of a vulture hailing from a near threatened species.
Active collaboration between the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-India) and WWF-Pakistan has saved the life of a radio-tagged female Cinereous Vulture, which was injured in a severe hailstorm that struck Pakistan’s Khanewal and Multan districts recently.
The two-year-old vulture, fitted with a GPS–GSM telemetry device, was released by Bhopal’s Van Vihar National Park (as part of efforts to rewild rescued as well as captively bred vultures) into its natural habitat at Halali Dam in central MP’s Raisen district on March 30 – more than two months after it was rescued in injured state from a village in western MP’s Shajapur district.
On being released at Halali Dam (a scientifically selected site) on March 30, the female Eurasian Black Vulture travelled across Rajasthan and crossed international boundaries, reaching Pakistan by April 6.
However, when no movement signal was received on April 7, the WWF-India was immediately informed. Acting promptly, WWF-India coordinated with its counterpart, WWF-Pakistan, requesting assistance in locating the bird.
In a remarkable example of international cooperation, the Pakistan Forest Department along with WWF-Pakistan successfully traced and recovered the vulture from local residents in Khanewal district.
As per information received from WWF-Pakistan, a severe hailstorm struck the districts of Khanewal and Multan on April 7, during which one Cinereous Vulture and one Eurasian Griffon Vulture were affected, temporarily unable to fly and found on the ground.
Local residents promptly informed the District Wildlife Office, following which wildlife officials recovered both vultures, provided initial treatment, and transferred them to the Changa Manga Vulture Captive Breeding Centre with the help of local police.
The Cinereous Vulture had minor injuries and is now recovering well, and both vultures are stable and feeding normally. The tagged vulture rescued from Madhya Pradesh was among those recovered; however, its tracking tag could not be located.
“Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal is in continuous coordination with WWF-Pakistan through WWF-India regarding the bird’s health status, and the vulture will be released back into the wild once it is fully fit to resume its natural journey. This incident highlights the importance of scientific monitoring, rapid response systems, and strong inter-country collaboration in wildlife conservation, particularly for migratory species like vultures,” Van Vihar said in its official statement on Sunday.
Back in 2025, the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC), Van Vihar-Bhopal had achieved a significant milestone in 2025, when a rescued Eurasian Griffon Vulture was treated, tagged, and released at Halali Dam on March 29, 2025.
Telemetry monitoring revealed that the bird travelled over 4,300 km, reaching its breeding grounds in Kazakhstan, passing through Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, before returning to India in October. This landmark study provided critical insights into migratory routes, transboundary conservation challenges, and habitat use of endangered vultures, marking a milestone in scientific vulture conservation in India.
Continuing these efforts, a total of five vultures, including four Long-billed Vultures and one Cinereous Vulture, were successfully rehabilitated, tagged, and released into the wild from Van Vihar on February 23, 2026.
This entire initiative establishes Van Vihar as a national centre of excellence in vulture conservation, demonstrating strong integration of science, veterinary expertise, and modern technology, along with robust post-release monitoring systems. More importantly, it highlights the critical importance of international cooperation in the conservation of migratory species like vultures, whose survival depends on coordinated efforts across countries and landscapes. It underscores the need for transboundary conservation frameworks, real-time information sharing, and collective action.