CHENNAI: A juvenile white-rumped vulture, a critically endangered species listed on the IUCN Red List, was electrocuted near Thirumayam in Pudukottai The one-year-old vulture, part of the Jatayu Conservation Initiative, was GPS-tagged and released in July 2024 from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, by the state’s forest department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). This is the fifth such electrocution-related death among 25 vultures, including 10 long-billed and 10 white-rumped vultures released under the programme.
The bird, which had travelled an impressive 4,000 km across states over five months, was found dead after coming in contact with a live wire. The vulture had made pit stops in several areas, including Chennai, before reaching Pudukkottai. It was last seen scavenging on a dog carcass near an electric wire.
S Bharathidasan, founder of Arulagam, an NGO that works towards conserving vultures in the Nilgiris, said, “I monitored and fed the bird for three weeks, hoping it would take longer flights. The bird was healthy, but due to the easy availability of food in human habitats, it was not flying long distances.”
He had requested the forest department and BNHS to relocate the bird to Moyar Valley where there is an established population of vultures, but was turned down.
Experts have raised concerns about the increasing risk vultures face due to poorly managed infrastructure near their habitats. Recent surveys in TN, Karnataka, and Kerala recorded around 320 vultures, with Mudumalai Tiger Reserve housing the highest of 78 birds.