Tagged Bhopal Cinereous Vulture Rescued In Pakistan After Injured In Hailstorm
A rare Cinereous Vulture released from Van Vihar National Park was rescued in Pakistan after being injured in a hailstorm, marking a first-of-its-kind international coordination. WWF India and WWF Pakistan traced the bird to Khanewal, where it is recovering; efforts are on to locate its missing tracking device.
Tagged Bhopal Cinereous Vulture Rescued In Pakistan After Injured Hailstorm |
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A tagged Cinereous Vulture, released into the wild by Van Vihar National Park officials at Halali dam in March, reached Pakistan on April 6 where it was injured during a severe hailstorm.
When the signal from its telemetry device failed on April 7, Van Vihar officials alerted WWF India, which coordinated with WWF Pakistan to trace the bird. WWF Pakistan and the local Forest Department recovered the vulture from villagers in Khanewal district. This marks the first time international assistance has been sought to trace a missing bird.
Van Vihar officials stated the bird was fitted with a GPS-GSM telemetry device which is currently missing. Authorities have requested their Pakistani counterparts to locate the device. If untraced, officials are contemplating supplying a new device to Pakistani forest officials to ensure the vulture's future movements can be monitored. Without the device, the bird may have to be released into the wild without tracking capabilities.
Severe hailstorm
WWF Pakistan informed Van Vihar officials that a severe hailstorm struck Khanewal and Multan on April 7, grounding the Cinereous Vulture and a Eurasian Griffon. Wildlife officials recovered both birds and provided initial treatment before transferring them to the Changa Manga Vulture Captive Breeding Centre. The Cinereous Vulture sustained minor injuries and is recovering well. Van Vihar is maintaining coordination with WWF Pakistan for health updates. The vulture was originally rescued in an injured state from Parsulia village in Shajapur on Jan 22 and treated at Van Vihar.
Migration path
After its release at Halali dam, the vulture travelled through Rajasthan to Pakistan. It is believed to be following a migratory route toward Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan.
Previous study
In March 2025, a rescued Eurasian Griffon vulture was similarly tagged and released. It travelled 4,300 km to its breeding grounds in Kazakhstan, flying over Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, before returning to India in October. The study provided critical insights into migratory routes and transboundary challenges faced by endangered vultures.
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