Research Vulture electrocuted near Mudumalai Tiger reserve

A white-rumped vulture fitted with a radio collar as part of a scientific research and conservation programme died of electrocution after coming into contact with a power line near Eppanad, close to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris district.
The endangered vulture had been reared at the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and was released into the wild in December last year with a radio collar to monitor its movement. It later migrated to Kalaburagi in Karnataka, where it was rescued and treated by the Karnataka Forest Department after its health deteriorated. Following its recovery, the bird was released in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on April 7 by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Forest Departments, considering the reserve’s sizeable population of white-rumped vultures.
However, the bird failed to adapt to its new habitat and was frequently sighted around Kallatti and Eppanad. Forest officials had earlier recaptured and released it in the Sigur forest range. The Forest Department confirmed that the vulture died after being electrocuted by an overhead power line in the Eppanad forest area. Officials have informed the Maharashtra Forest Department about the incident, and further inquiries are under way.