A Himalayan griffon vulture, one of the last remaining Old World vultures, has been successfully rehabilitated and released back into its natural habitat in Assam! Rescued by locals after being found unable to fly, the bird was admitted to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga, where it was diagnosed with severe dehydration and spastic paralysis. Thanks to the dedicated care of CWRC vets and animal keepers, the majestic scavenger has made a full recovery and returned to the skies. Found across the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, these vultures breed on remote mountain cliffs but migrate to lower elevations in winter. Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, they play a crucial role in the ecosystem as nature’s cleanup crew. More than two decades ago, India’s vulture population faced a catastrophic decline due to diclofenac, a common painkiller used to treat cattle. By the mid-1990s, the country’s 50 million-strong vulture population had plummeted to near zero, as birds feeding on carcasses of livestock treated with the drug suffered fatal kidney failure. Researchers have described this as the fastest recorded decline of a bird species in history — comparable only to the extinction of the passenger pigeon in the U S. Although the 2006 ban on veterinary use of diclofenac slowed the decline, threats like habitat loss and food scarcity continue to endanger these vital scavengers. This successful rescue and rehabilitation underscore the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect India’s dwindling vulture population. #griffonvulture #indianbirds #birdrescue [Threatened Species, Wildlife Conservation, Himalayan Griffon Vulture]