Jatayu released in Pench Tiger Reserve soaring near Anjaneri hills in Nashik

Mumbai: The Anjaneri hills near the temple town of Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra’s Nashik district - believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman and steeped in Ramayana mythology.

Ramayana mentions Jatayu as the 'King of Vultures'. Historically the region had been a habitat of vultures, popularly known as Jatayu.

In an interesting coincidence, a long-billed vulture (LBV) named J132, released in the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Nagpur, on December 11, 2025, has now reached within 38 km of Anjaneri, after covering an impressive 750 km journey.

The vulture is part of the ambitious Jatayu (vulture) conservation programme pioneered by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in collaboration with the Maharashtra Forest Department (MFD).

Fitted with a GPS transmitter, J132’s movement is being scientifically monitored. “The long flight of J132 is significant for both BNHS and the Forest Department. GPS tagging allows us to monitor movement, habitat use, feeding behaviour and survival. This journey has generated tremendous interest among the birding community,” said Kishor Rithe, Director, BNHS.

According to BNHS researchers, J132 travelled through Nagpur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, taking 15 days to reach Nashik.

The bird roosted on cliffs on Thursday and follows a consistent pattern—roosting in the evening, feeding in the morning, and then flying to the next location. Activity data indicates at least two full feeding events during the journey.

As part of the larger reintroduction effort, a second batch of 14 captive-bred vultures was brought from Pinjore, Haryana, on April 24, 2025, to a specially created pre-release aviary in Pench. These birds underwent eight months of training to feed independently on carcasses. GSM tags were fitted last month to track their post-release movements.

The batch includes eight White-rumped Vultures (Gyps bengalensis) and five Long-billed Vultures (Gyps indicus). After a structured acclimatisation period, the birds were released into the wild on December 11, 2025, by Chief Wildlife Warden of Maharashtra Sreenivas Reddy and BNHS President Praveen Pardeshi.

A significant positive development was recorded on December 12, when vultures from earlier release batches (2024) were observed feeding alongside the newly released birds at the Pench feeding site. Between December 12 and 15, all 14 birds were seen feeding with wild vultures in the reserve.

Since the first successful release in August 2024, two vultures (a male and a female) have already established themselves across Pench Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

While all White-rumped Vultures from the current batch continue to remain around the Pench aviary area—including WRV Z33, released after treatment on December 14—the Long-billed Vultures have begun exploring wider landscapes. Besides J132 reaching Nashik, another LBV, AB1, has travelled to Dhanora in Gadchiroli, a known historical vulture stronghold.

The release and post-release monitoring is being carried out jointly by the BNHS–Pench Tiger Reserve field team, including conservation biologists Manan Singh Mahadev and Athira Prakash, field assistant Mohammed Kasim, Vivek B. Rajurkar (Range Forest Officer, East Pench Range), Shrikant Dhobale (Biologist, PTR), and frontline staff, under the guidance of Field Director Akshay Gajbhiye.