Mumbai: In what demonstrates the success of the Jatayu conservation programme spearheaded by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), a vulture released by the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC) in Pinjore in Haryana recorded over 13,000 km of movement, reached an altitude of 3,144 meters and successfully associated with wild vultures.
Post-release monitoring done by the Mumbai-headquartered BNHS also highlighted the urgent need to make vulture habitats safe from power infrastructure.
BNHS launches India's first telemetry study of River Lapwings in Ganga basinThe with captive-bred white-rumped Vulture (Jatayu N09) was released by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on December 17, 2024.
N09, a male White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) hatched at JCBC Pinjore in 2023, was among 25 captive-bred White-rumped Vultures released by the CM.
BNHS expert veterinarian Dr Arshvarinder Singh who heads JCBC Pinjore and vulture expert Hemant Bajpayee analysed the movement patterns.
The analysis of N09's GPS-GSM telemetry from 17 December 2024 to 1 September 2026, covering approximately 623 days, has provided important insights into the ability of a captive-bred vulture to adapt to the natural environment.
"GPS showed that N09 has accumulated more than 13,000 km of recorded movement during nearly 21 months in the wild. This figure represents cumulative movement between successive GPS locations and should therefore be interpreted as a measure of the bird's tracked landscape use rather than an exact measurement of its total flight distance. N09 also recorded a maximum GPS altitude of approximately 3,144 metres above mean sea level during its movements in the high-altitude landscape of Himachal Pradesh," BNHS Director Kishor Rithe said.
After release, Jatayu named N09 initially remained largely within the Pinjore-Shivalik landscape for approximately 15 months. This relatively prolonged association with the release area is an important feature of the soft-release process, allowing the bird to become familiar with the surrounding habitat and interact with free-ranging vultures.
BNHS signs MoU with CURAJ to strengthen biodiversity conservation and researchFrom March 2026 onwards, Jatayu N09 began undertaking remarkable long-distance exploratory movements. It travelled east through the Shivalik landscape into Uttarakhand, reaching the Haldwani region and adjoining Terai landscape, approximately 330 km from the release site, before successfully returning towards the Pinjore-Shivalik region.
BNHS biologist Arindam Aditya who monitored the released birds said that "Soon after March 2026, Jatayu N09 undertook an even longer north-westward movement through the broader Himachal Pradesh-Pathankot-Jammu landscape, eventually reaching the Khuiratta-Kotla sector of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, referred to in India as PoK. At its farthest recorded point, N09 was approximately 405 km from JCBC Pinjore.