Released Eurasian Griffon Vulture Reaches Afghanistan, Still Moving Ahead

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Eurasian Griffon vulture, which was tagged with GPS equipment and released by Van Vihar recently, crossed Pakistan and has reached Afganistan.

Van Vihar authorities are closely monitoring its movement as it will help them to know the migration path these vultures adopt. The Eurasian Griffson vultures arrive in Madhya Pradesh from Europe in winter and return to their native place post winter season.

Van Vihar National Park deputy director Sandesh Maheshwari said the last location of Eurasian Griffson vulture was in Afghanistan. As the vulture is tagged with GPS, its movement is helping to know the places where it stops while heading towards its original destination.

“After reaching Afghanistan, this vulture is still moving ahead. We don’t know where it will go and stop finally,” said an officer of Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre who is monitoring the movement of the released vulture. The GPS tagged Eurasian Griffon vulture was rescued from Satna after it got separated from its flock and started to move near human settlement.

Later on, it was brought to Van Vihar from where it was shifted to Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre. On March 29, it was released near Halali dam as some more Eurasian vultures were seen there. The forest officials said that Eurasian vultures easily accept the new family member in the group. Hence, rescued vulture may have joined the flock and heading to homeland.

However, it is not known that whether the vulture is flying ahead alone to its homeland or is part of the flock of same species. This is for the first time that any migratory vulture was equipped with GPS to know its movement and migration path.