Radio-tagged griffon vulture dies of electrocution in Nilgiris

A captive-bred, radio-tagged griffon vulture (Gyps bengalensis), which was released in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) earlier this year, was electrocuted on Sunday (June 28, 2026) on the slopes of Ebbanadu overlooking the Sigur Plateau.

The bird was originally released in the Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve in December 2025 and made its way to Karnataka, where it had to be captured and treated after showing signs of illness. Subsequently, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Karnataka Forest Department held discussions with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu and obtained permission to release the bird in the MTR, home to the last large population of the white-banded vulture in southern India, in April 2026. The foresters hoped that the bird would bond with other birds and acclimatize in the region.

However, officials said the release turned out to be more difficult than expected as the vulture failed to acclimatise to the new environment and went on scouting expeditions around the tiger reserve including Gudalur and later up the slopes towards Kalhatty and Ebbanad.

“We have captured the bird several times and released it in Sigur in the hope that it will acclimatize,” said R. Kiruba Shankar, director of the MTR. However, on Sunday, during one bird survey at Ebbanadu in the Nilgiris forest division, it came in contact with a power line and was killed, officials from the forest department confirmed.

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Karnataka Forest Department discussed with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu and obtained permission to release the bird in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, which is home to the last large population of the white-banded vulture in southern India. File | Photo credit: The Hindu

The death of the vulture signaled the end of the first attempt to reintroduce the bird to the landscape and could have implications for future conservation policy. “There has been a long call for the captive birds to be released in Mudumalai to boost the populations. Since this reintroduction has failed, steps need to be taken to identify the reasons why the bird has not been able to adapt and also identify threats to the endangered species such as power lines which have led to many deaths of vultures in the region in recent years,” said a conservationist from The Nilgiris.

S. Bharathidasan, secretary of Arulagam, a conservation NGO working to protect vultures in the region, said power lines that pass through vulture habitats must be reinforced with cables and insulated to prevent accidental electrocution of birds and other wildlife.

“We will discuss with BNHS and other researchers to understand the reasons why this particular bird was not able to acclimatize and adapt. We will also find out whether other captive release birds in other parts also faced similar challenges, said Mr. Kiruba Shankar. In addition, the Forest Department would also explore the possibility of adapting the energy infrastructure in the region to minimize the installation of transfer species on bird species such as bird species.

Published – 29 Jun 2026 16:59 IST