World’s 1st breeding centre for Asian King Vultures inaugurated in UP

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre in the Bharivaisi, Campierganj Range of the Gorakhpur Forest Division on 6 September 2024. It is the world’s first conservation and breeding centre for the Asian King Vulture or the red-headed vulture.

There are other conservation and breeding centres of vultures named Jatayu in the country, but they cater to all breeds of vultures.

During the ceremony, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed the state Forest Department to establish a forestry college in Gorakhpur.

World’s first Conservation and Breeding Centre for Asian King Vulture 

The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society, has established the Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre in Maharajganj.

The Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre spread over 1.5 hectares of land in the Gorakhpur forest division, was built for Rs 2.8 crore.

The centre has multiple bird cages, a nursery for juveniles, a hospital and recovery facility for birds needing medical help, and a food processing centre.

The centre also includes an incubation centre to rear the vulture eggs artificially to ensure 100% results are other features.

The Asian king vulture makes one partner in life, and the female lays one egg in a year.

The Jatayu Center will release the captive birds into the wild after the female has laid the egg.

The egg will be hatched in a controlled environment in the incubation centre.  

Aim of the Jatayu Center 

The Jatayu Center aims to release 40 pairs of vultures from the centre over the next 8 to 10 years.

The centre currently has six king vultures - one male and five females.

Status of the King Vulture 

The scientific name of the king vulture is Sarcogyps calvus. The bird is mainly found in North India.

The bird has been included in the critically endangered species list of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

The bird is threatened by the loss of its habitat and humans' indiscriminate use of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in animals. 

The vulture that eats such dead animals falls sick and suffers from head/neck drooping syndrome. The infected vulture ultimately dies. This is one of the main causes of the decline in the vulture population in India.

The Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre has installed a food processing center to safeguard the vultures from eating such infected meat.