Rare Eurasian Griffon vulture rescued from Mumbai released back into wild

Mumbai, Dec 30 (PTI) An injured Eurasian Griffon vulture rescued by a wildlife NGO earlier this month from Mumbai was released back into its natural habitat on Monday.

The rare bird was found unconscious, dehydrated and injured when it was rescued, said Pawan Sharma, founder-president of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) who is also an honorary wildlife warden with the Maharashtra forest department.

It was treated by avian veterinarian Rina Dev and rehabilitated by RAWW and Ashwamedh Pratishthan, another NGO, at their facility in coordination with the forest department and released back into the wild, he informed.

This was the first official record of a complete rescue, treatment, rehab and release of this rare species of bird in decades from Mumbai, said Avinash Harad of Ashwamedh Pratisthan.

This species of bird is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act. PTI ZA RSY