Once pushed to the brink of extinction by widespread poisoning linked to a veterinary drug, vultures in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra valley have shown encouraging signs of recovery, with the number of nests and fledglings recording a notable increase over the past two decades.
Designated sites were established to provide the birds with safe food. Efforts are also being made to ensure the safe disposal of animal carcasses with community participation, helping maintain a reliable food source for vultures while preventing environmental contamination. Kangra valley is an important vulture habitat, supporting a majority of the nine species recorded in India. The Chir Pine forests of Kangra serve as the breeding habitat for the vultures including the critically endangered white-rumped vultures in the region. The most commonly observed species include the White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis) and Eurasian griffon (Gyps fulvus). We have been monitoring its movements through the GPS transmitter attached to the bird.”
An annual survey conducted over the past two decades has recorded an increase in vulture nests from 26 in 2004-05 to 617 in 2024-25, according to data shared by the wildlife wing of Himachal Pradesh’s forest department. The number of fledglings has also risen from 23 to 559 during the same period. The survey data show that the number of nests increased to 206 and fledglings to 171 in 2010-11 and the numbers had further risen to 404 nests and 370 fledglings by 2020-21. Hemant Bajpai, research biologist with the vulture conservation programme of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), associated with the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC), Pinjore, Haryana, said: “One of the White-rumped vulture released from the JCBC Pinjore in December 2024, has been staying in the Kangra region and well integrated with wild vultures since March 2025 till now.
Department officials said that several conservation efforts for vultures were undertaken over the years which included a ban on the veterinary use of diclofenac, a drug identified as a major threat to their survival, and the promotion of safer alternatives such as meloxicam. Sanjeev Singh, divisional forest officer (wildlife), headquarters (Dharamshala), said: “A number of conservation measures were taken over the years to protect vulture nesting sites and habitats.
