BNHS to release six critically endangered vultures in Assam after 15-year conservation effort

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which has successfully bred more than 800 vultures in its conservation breeding centres across India, is now preparing to release six vultures in Assam in January 2026.  

BNHS scientists on Thursday (December 4, 2025) said they are finalising the dates to release three male and as many female slender-billed and white-rumped vultures, aged between two and three years, in Assam’s Kamrup and Biswanath districts. They were bred at BNHS Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Rani, Kamrup district.   

About the selection of Kamrup and Biswanath districts as the location to release the vultures, BNHA Senior Scientist and Assistant Director Dr. Sachin Ranade explained, “These locations fall within the natural range of vultures where there are already a small flock of them and Biswanath is closer to Kaziranga National Park.”   

“The vultures will be kept there for a minimum of three months to experience the surrounding nature and adapt. During this time, they will observe other scavengers and become familiar with the environment. Since they have been bred in captivity — even though the enclosures are large — this will be their first experience of true wilderness.”  

Slender-billed vultures at BNHS Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in the Rani area of Kamrup district.
| Photo Credit:
Asad Rahmani

 “Vultures live in flocks, attain maturity after the age of five, and can live up to 50 to 60 years. They have high immunity and do not easily catch infections or diseases,” the BNHS scientists said. The founder stock (parents of these vultures) was collected from different parts of Assam. Dr. Ranade said the slender-billed vulture is mainly found in Assam, whereas white-rumped vultures are found across India.  

Currently, India is home to about 20,000 vultures across nine species, including bearded vulture, griffon vulture, and cinereous vulture. The endangered species are the Egyptian vulture and the Himalayan griffon vulture, while the critically endangered species include the red-headed vulture, white-rumped vulture, long-billed vulture, and slender-billed vulture.  

The scientists are working with local communities to save vultures in their natural habitats.  

The BNHS team, supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Assam Forest Department, has been working for more than 15 years to prepare the ground for the release. They are conducting village-level meetings and educating villagers about vultures and their importance.  

Problems such as the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen and nimesulide, and pesticides were highlighted during the educational campaign. Dr. Ranade explained, “They and their assistants (paravets), who handle the medicine for livestock, play a valuable role. We are requesting them to advocate and use only vulture-safe medicines like meloxicam and tolfenamic acid in cattle treatment, so the cattle and their carcasses do not have any harmful residues for vultures.”  

“In Assam, frequent incidents of poison baiting have been reported, where locals sprayed pesticides on cattle carcasses to kill stray dogs. Vultures feeding on these carcasses fall victim to poisoning, which has delayed the release of captive-bred vultures into the wild,” he stated.  

Kishor Rithe, the Director of BNHS, said, “BNHS campaign is very important as it will decide the success of the vulture release programme. We are thankful for the active participation of the Forest Department of Assam and the Animal Husbandry Department in the mission.”  

Dr. Ranade said, “The vultures released will serve the common cattle owners, farmers and people of Assam. By feeding on the cattle carcasses, they will control the pollution caused by rotten carcasses and the spread of various diseases. Rebuilding the natural food chain in the ecosystem is most important for the survival of the vultures to be released as well as the wild vultures. Nowadays, Assam is the only stronghold of the slender-billed vultures in India. Saving this species will be the most important action in conservation for the global population.”