After a 97% Collapse, Can Kaziranga’s Sky Welcome Its Lost Guardians Again?

Confirming the development earlier on his official X handle, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote: 

“Glad to announce the release of 30 White-rumped & 5 Slender-billed Vultures from VCBC, Rani into Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve’s 6th Addition. Like Jatayu soaring in Ramayana, these guardians of our health return to the wild, marking a triumph of our dedicated conservation efforts.”

His post not only highlighted the significance of this achievement but also underscored the vulture’s cultural symbolism and ecological importance.

Both species— the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and the Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)— are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Their populations had crashed by over 97 percent between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, the steepest decline ever recorded among birds anywhere in the world. Assam continued to remain the last stronghold for slender-billed vultures, particularly around the Kaziranga landscape, though even here their numbers had been dwindling due to poisoning incidents, pesticide-laced cattle carcasses, and exposure to harmful veterinary drugs.

The root of this collapse lay in the widespread use of diclofenac, a previously common livestock painkiller that proved fatal to vultures feeding on treated carcasses. Even a contamination rate as low as one percent was enough to trigger mass mortality. The consequences rippled beyond ecology: with vultures gone, carcasses decomposed slowly, feral dog populations exploded, and rabies outbreaks surged— a chain of events linked to an estimated half a million human deaths between 2000 and 2005. Though veterinary diclofenac was banned in 2006, the vulture population has struggled to recover due to lingering threats from other toxic NSAIDs and accidental poisoning.

The 6th Addition of Kaziranga was chosen for the release because of its expansive forest cover, steady availability of carrion from herbivores, and strict anti-poaching protection. A scientifically designed soft-release aviary, constructed near the Tewaripal forest camp with technical guidance from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), allowed the birds to acclimatise gradually before dispersing on their own. Alongside, extensive awareness programmes involving veterinarians, local communities, and educational institutions were carried out to reduce poisoning risks and promote vulture-friendly practices.

For over fifteen years, the VCBC at Rani— run by the Assam Forest Department in collaboration with BNHS and supported by RSPB— had been at the forefront of conserving South Asia’s dwindling Gyps vultures. The centre has bred more than 800 vultures nationwide, and plans were already underway to release the first batch of slender-billed and white-rumped vultures in early 2026 across Kamrup and Biswanath, complementing the Kaziranga initiative.

The release of these 35 vultures into Kaziranga’s sixth addition therefore stood not merely as an operational milestone but as a symbol of ecological healing. For a species once pushed to the brink of extinction, this return to the wild represented hope— and a powerful reminder that with science, community participation, and sustained commitment, even the steepest declines can begin to reverse.

Also Read: Assam: Rhino Poaching Bid in Kaziranga Foiled as 6 Arrested with Rifle and Ammunition near Gohpur