
CHENNAI: In a tragic incident, a one-year-old juvenile White-Rumped Vulture, a critically endangered species listed on the IUCN Red List, was electrocuted near Thirumayam in Pudukkottai district. The vulture, part of the Jatayu Conservation Initiative, was GPS-tagged and released in July 2024 in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, by the Maharashtra Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
The bird, which had travelled an impressive 4,000 kilometres across multiple states over five months, was found dead after coming into contact with a live electric wire. The vulture had made pit stops in several locations, including Chennai, before reaching Pudukkottai. In its final days, it was observed scavenging on a dog carcass near an electric wire.
S Bharathidasan, founder of Arulagam, an NGO that works towards conservation of vultures in the Nilgiris Biosphere, said: "It was unfortunate. I monitored and fed the bird for three weeks and hoped it would take wings. The bird was healthy, but due to human footprint and availability of easy food 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 his request was turned down.
This is the fifth such electrocution-related death among the 25 vultures released under the program. The initiative involved releasing GPS-tagged vultures (10 Long-billed and 10 White-Rumped) bred at the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Pinjore, Haryana. The Long-billed vultures were released in Pench Tiger Reserve, while the White-Rumped vultures were released in Tadoba.
Experts have raised concerns about the increasing risk vultures face due to poorly managed power infrastructure near their habitats. Human activity, such as habitat encroachment and food scarcity, has forced vultures to forage near human settlements, further endangering their lives.
Recent vulture population surveys in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala recorded an estimated 320 vultures in the region, with Mudumalai Tiger Reserve housing the highest number (78 individuals). Tamil Nadu continues to be a critical nesting and foraging ground for these scavenging birds.