WATCH: Rare Himalayan Griffon Vulture found at a cemetery in Kanpur

Uttar Pradesh: A video showing a rare Himalayan Griffon Vulture has gone viral on social media. Reportedly, the bird was spotted at a cemetery in Kanpur. Locals from the village were seen posing with the scavenger bird, pulling its wings to a full stretch to record their capture on camera. The vulture was rescued by forest officials and sent to the veterinary hospital of the Allen Forest zoo for a 15-day quarantine period. WATCH VIDEO:

Forest officials are in search of one more vulture from the premises

District forest officer Shraddha Yadav said that the vulture has been quarantined in the zoo hospital for 15 days. "The sighting of a pair of Himalayan vultures has come to the fore. There is one more vulture in Benajhabar area, the search is on for it," Yadav told news agency IANS.

The rescued bird is being monitored at the hospital

Zoo veterinarian Dr Nasir Zaidi said that the captured Himalayan vulture has been kept in the hospital premises, separately from other birds. He was quoted in an IANS report as saying, "It weighs about 8 kg. The team of doctors is monitoring the rare vulture. There are already four Himalayan Griffon vultures in the zoo."

Did you know? Himalayan Griffon vultures are called "ecosystem engineers"

"Himalayan Griffon vultures are now nearly threatened. They are called ecosystem engineers," says Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan in one of his tweets last year when he rehabilitated one of the rare birds.

More facts about the rare species

Kaswan took a look at the visuals shared on Twitter also by ANI and confirmed: "It looks like a Himalayan Griffon Vulture. Sub-adults are migratory, adults live on higher reaches. They can live upto 40-45 years of age." Their large wingspan helps these vultures soar high in the sky searching for carcasses on the ground. It is a documented fact that by feeding on the carcasses, vultures prevent diseases from spreading to humans.

This species is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.