A rare Himalayan Griffon vulture, protected under the country's wildlife Act, was rescued recently from near the famous Dal lake in Kashmir.
The bird was discovered by a group of passer-by's who on seeing the raptor, who was struggling to fly, immediately alerted Delhi-based Wildlife SOS, a statement said.
Following which, a three-member rescue team was rushed to Srinagar which identified the bird as a Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis).
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The large raptor is found along the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan Plateau. It is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red Data list.
The vulture was safely transferred to the organisation's rescue centre in Dachigam where a Wildlife Protection Department veterinarian conducted a full medical examination which revealed that it was blind in one eye and extremely weak due to dehydration and starvation, the statement said.
Fortunately, there were no signs of any physical injury and after keeping it under observation for a few days, it was released in Dachigam National Park, it added.
"Himalayan vultures are one of the largest birds found in the Himalayan region and being a scavenging bird of prey, they mostly feed from the carcasses of animals.
"Its wingspan is about 8-feet and around 3-feet tall. I am grateful to the Wildlife Protection Department for their help and we are glad to have been able to release this exquisite bird back in its natural habitat, where it belongs," Co-Founder of Wildlife SOS, Kartick Satyanarayan said.
