Rajabhatkhawa vulture population grows, expansion planned
ALIPURDUAR: The population of vultures at the Rajabhatkhawa Vulture Breeding Centre, located within the Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar, is steadily increasing. Along with 10 new vultures set to be released in December, the Forest Department is also considering the expansion of aviary facilities to accommodate the
growing numbers.
Over the past year, 10 vultures were successfully bred at the centre, bringing the total population to 169. The Rajabhatkhawa facility remains the only dedicated vulture breeding centre in West Bengal, spanning approximately five acres. In light of the increasing population, the Forest Department has proposed the construction of two additional aviaries to maintain a healthy and natural habitat for the
resident vultures.
Harikrishnan PJ, deputy field director of the Buxa Tiger Reserve (West), commented on the expansion plans, stating: “Vultures are critically endangered across the country, and Rajabhatkhawa hosts the only artificial vulture breeding centre in the state. To accommodate the rising population, we have decided to propose the construction of new aviaries. The proposal will be submitted to the state authorities soon.”
Researcher Soumya Chakraborty, who works at the breeding centre, added: “Currently, we have 169 vultures, and over the years, we’ve released 31 white-backed vultures into the wild. With 10 more vultures born recently, we’re working to ensure the population continues to grow.” Rajabhatkhawa is one of the four vulture breeding
centres in India. The centre focuses on breeding critically endangered species, including white-backed, long-billed, slender-billed and himalayan griffon vultures. In north Bengal, many of these species are virtually extinct. Due to vultures laying only one egg per year, the center has also adopted the “double clutching” technique to enhance natural breeding rates.
Since 2019, the Rajabhatkhawa centre has successfully released vultures into the wild on four occasions. The next release, scheduled for December, will once again utilise the Platform Transmitter Terminal (PTT) tracking system to monitor the birds’ movements.
