White-rumped Vulture Release, Ahmedabad

Jivdaya Charitable Trust is an NGO dedicated to treating stray animals and birds free of charge. Set up in Ahmedabad in 2007, the Trust has come a long way and is now equipped with the latest treatment facilities, from gas anesthesia machines, latest orthopedic instruments, an X-ray unit, a ventilator, a multipara monitor with a pulse oximeter and also 2 state-of-the-art operation theatres. The Trust also has three fully equipped ambulance vans that treat animals on the spot. The Trust also organizes a “Save the Birds Campaign” every year during Uttarayan (kite flying festival) and treats around 2000-3000 birds during that period.

Among the birds that are injured during the kite flying festival are White-rumped Vultures (Gyps bengalensis), a critically endangered species. To create a ‘Vulture safe’ zone in Gujarat, vultures that are treated here are ringed before they are released back into the wild. Aditya Roy, the vulture advocacy officer and veteran conservationist Kartik Shastri have been working on saving this endangered species for a long time. The birds are ringed and released back to the area where they came from.

This White-rumped Vulture – D61 – had come in during one of the most hectic Uttarayan days, the 13th of Jan. We a got a distress call about an injured vulture from a volunteer Anil Patel who was monitoring the Kadi colony. Aditya Roy and Rushi Bhatt answered the call and brought back this severely injured vulture. The bird had a deep cut on the propatagium or wing web and had also lost a lot of blood, but thanks to our doctor’s timely intervention, the bird was saved. Initially the vulture was destined to be sent to the Junagadh breeding facility along with our Long-billed vulture, but after vigorous physiotherapy and flight exercises there was a ray of hope. The bird started making clean takeoffs and started using its wings again. After three months of multiple surgeries and physiotherapy the bird made a full recovery and was released — a majestic vulture taking to the skies again is a heartwarming sight indeed!