Nashik– A Long-billed vulture (J-132), released by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) with a transmitter and tagging, reached the outskirts of Nashik city after a 750-kilometer journey from the Pench Tiger Reserve. The vulture, exhausted and starving, was found sitting on the ground in Daranasangvi village and was rescued by a team from the East Forest Division.
After receiving treatment for 21 days at the Forest Department's Wildlife Treatment Centre (TTC) in Mhasrul, it fully recovered. On Tuesday (January 20), the vulture was released back into the wild at Anjaneri by personnel from the 'Rescue Nashik Division' and the West Forest Division.
Veterinarian Hemraj Sukhwal at the Forest Department's Mhasrul TTC diagnosed the vulture with symptoms of anemia due to exhaustion and starvation from its journey. After ensuring its condition had improved following 21 days of continuous treatment and care, under the orders of Deputy Conservator of Forests Siddhesh Savardekar, a team comprising Forest Range Officer Sumit Nirmal, Forest Circle Officers Praveen Ratnaparkhi, Abhijit Mahale, Rishikesh Tiwade, and Arun Iyer from Rescue Nashik safely released the vulture at Anjaneri. Upon release, the vulture soared high into the sky and circled two or three times, Ratnaparkhi said.
Nashik VIDEO: Exhausted Vulture Rescued After 750-Km Journey From Pench, Released At Anjaneri |
On December 11, a Long-billed Vulture, which had been fitted with a transmitter on its back and tagged with the number J132, was released from the Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur. It travelled 700 kilometers in 17 days and reached Anjaneri near Nashik.
Due to weakness, the vulture was rescued in the village of Darna Sangvi in Niphad taluka by the Forest Department (Eastern Division) with the help of the A.R.E.A.S. Foundation and handed over to senior officials. After 21 days of treatment, it was released back into the mountain range at Anjaneri on January 20.
The Journey and Rescue
The vulture, which took flight from the Pench Tiger Reserve on December 1, 2025, covered a distance of 750 km in 17 days. It traveled through Nagpur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts before reaching Nashik.
Just 18-20 km from its habitat in Anjaneri, the vulture, in an exhausted state, stopped near the city's entrance. Locals in Daranasangvi village spotted the vulture sitting on the ground and informed the Forest Department. A rescue team then rescued it.
Special Initiative for Vulture Conservation
This vulture is one of the 14 vultures from the second batch brought from Pinjore, Haryana, to the aviary at Pench Tiger Reserve on April 24, 2025. This batch included five long-billed and eight white-backed vultures. After eight months of training to find natural food, they were fitted with GSM tags and transmitters last month.
After completing their training to live with wild vultures, they were released into the wild on December 11, 2025. One vulture from this batch, J-132, reached Nashik. After treatment, the transmitter was re-attached, and it was released back into the Anjaneri Vulture Conservation Reserve.
This vulture has been successfully released back into the wild under the joint vulture conservation program of the Forest Department and BNHS. This vulture will now be monitored through BNHS. With the declining vulture population, such successful efforts have given new impetus to conservation.
