Assam records world’s first-ever release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures

Why in News?

Five Slender-billed vultures bred in captivity at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) conservation facility in Assam were released into the wild on 7 August 2026. It is reported to be the first such release of captive-bred Slender-billed vultures anywhere in the world.

First Global Release

The five Slender-billed vultures, along with five captive-bred White-rumped vultures, were released from the Biswanath Wildlife Division of Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve.

The birds were released using the ‘Soft Release’ method, which allows captive-bred animals to gradually adjust to natural environmental conditions.

The vultures were transported from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at Rani, near Guwahati, to an aviary at the Biswanath Wildlife Division.

They were kept there for approximately three months for acclimatisation before being released into their natural habitat.

Vulture Conservation in India

India has recorded nine species of vultures. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Central Zoo Authority, in collaboration with State Governments, have established captive-breeding centres under the Species Recovery Programme.

These centres focus on critically endangered species such as:

• Slender-billed Vulture
• White-rumped Vulture
• Long-billed Vulture

Important conservation breeding centres include the Pinjore Vulture Breeding Centre in Haryana and the Rajabhatkhawa Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in West Bengal.

Reasons for Vulture Decline

Populations of India’s Gyps vultures declined by around 99% over two decades, primarily due to the widespread use of the veterinary painkiller diclofenac.

Vultures feeding on carcasses of livestock treated with diclofenac could suffer acute kidney failure and death, causing a dramatic population decline.

Ban on Veterinary Diclofenac

In August 2006, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) banned the manufacture, sale and use of veterinary diclofenac in India to protect vulture populations.

CLICK HERE: UPSC PRELIMS & MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS BASED WEEKLY TEST (ENG & HINDI)

CLICK HERE FOR GS TIMES PRAHAR UPSC GS MAINS TEST SERIES 

CLICK HERE: DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ (FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS)