Mumbai, February 9 A wild Himalayan griffon vulture has been spotted in Maharashtra's Melghat Tiger Reserve after nearly a decade, indicating that released vultures are attracting their wild counterparts back to the area, Director Kishor Rithe of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) said on Monday.
Rithe said the sighting was significant because vultures had become locally extinct from the Melghat and Tadoba landscapes, and the presence of the migratory Himalayan griffon suggested improving ecological conditions following sustained rewilding efforts.
He said that very recently, after the Himalayan griffon was seen in Melghat, an Eurasian griffon vulture was also spotted in the Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve.
By 2004, vulture populations in Maharashtra had declined drastically due to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen, and nimesulide, which proved fatal to the birds. Thereafter, the Maharashtra Forest Department joined hands with BNHS to revive the nearly extinct species.
As part of the program, 15 critically endangered long-billed vultures were shifted from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at Pinjore to the Somthana range in Melghat Tiger Reserve on April 23. The birds were kept in an aviary for acclimatization before their release.
On December 19 last year, the vultures were fitted with GSM and satellite transmitters to study their movement, behaviour, and survival. They were released from the aviary on January 2 this year, after which BNHS began feeding them naturally outside the enclosure.
"Melghat has historically been a stronghold for vultures. We hope the birds relearn to thrive here. Their continued presence and exploration of the Melghat Tiger Reserve area over the last one month shows positive signs. On top of it, their socialising with a wild Himalayan griffon for almost a week is remarkable," Rithe said.
Bhaskar Das, a conservation biologist at BNHS, said that the fact that vultures released in Melghat were attracting wild vultures was a major achievement. "The Himalayan griffon mixing with captive-released vultures and feeding alongside them indicates growing ecological acceptance of the MTR area," he said.
BNHS, a pioneer in vulture conservation, runs vulture breeding centres and several release sites and currently cares for around 700 vultures.
So far, 34 vultures have been soft-released in Melghat, Pench, and Tadoba tiger reserves in Maharashtra during 2025-26.