CHATTOGRAM — Forest officials rescued an injured migratory Himalayan vulture in Satkania after the bird fell from the sky, exhausted from a long flight, the forest department said.
The bird was rescued around 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, from the Uttar Kanchana area of the upazila.
The vulture is missing part of the talon on its right foot and is physically weak. Officials believe it fell from exhaustion after a long flight.
Locals said the vulture suddenly fell from the sky in front of a madrasa in Uttar Kanchana on Tuesday afternoon. After madrasa students informed the forest department, officials went at night and rescued the bird.
According to the forest department, vultures are nearly extinct in Bangladesh due to hostile conditions and food shortages. The rescued bird is a migratory species known as the Himalayan griffon. In winter, it descends south from the mountains of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Exhausted by the long migration, this species often gets stranded in various parts of Bangladesh in a weakened state.
Simanta Dipu, a researcher with the IUCN’s vulture conservation project, said Himalayan griffon vultures come to Bangladesh every winter and often get stranded when they cannot fly. In such cases, he advised people to quickly notify the forest department or IUCN.
Md. Nazmul Hossain, the Madarsha range officer, said the rescued vulture weighed about 7 kg and was missing its right leg. “After flying long distances without food, the vulture grew exhausted and fell to the ground,” he said. “We have given it food, and it is now reasonably well. But it does not have the strength to fly.” The bird has been sent to the wildlife hospital at Dulahazara Safari Park in Cox’s Bazar, where it will be cared for and released back into nature, he said.
The rescued Himalayan griffon vulture is listed as “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List, meaning the species is at risk of becoming endangered in the near future.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report