Rare White-Rumped Vultures—also known as the White-Backed Vulture—were spotted in the Teda area, falling under the Ramnagar Forest Division adjacent to Uttarakhand’s world-renowned Corbett Tiger Reserve. Renowned wildlife photographer Deep Rajwar captured these birds on camera recently; the sighting of more than six vultures together is being considered significant from the perspective of wildlife conservation.
Deep Rajwar said that spotting vultures has always been a challenge, as their numbers have witnessed a continuous decline over the past few years. Wildlife lovers are jubilant following the spotting of rare vultures.
Rajwar recalled that vultures were previously sighted in the Jhirna tourism zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve in 2017, and subsequently in the Chidiyaghar area in 2021. Now, in 2026, the reappearance of seven vultures together suggests a potential increase in their population.
Rajwar emphasized that vultures play a crucial role in the ecosystem and are regarded as nature’s “sanitation workers.” While only five vultures were sighted previously, the current sighting of seven constitutes a positive sign.
Commenting on the matter, renowned ornithologist Sumanta Ghosh stated that vultures were once among the most abundant predatory birds in the world, with their population estimated at approximately 45 million. However, their population has suffered a drastic decline due to the use of veterinary painkillers—specifically Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)—in livestock. In India, a decline of up to 99.9 percent has been recorded in the vulture population.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saket Badola, Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve, noted that over the past few decades, the populations of several vulture species have plummeted by as much as 95 percent. He stated that protected areas like Corbett continue to serve as safe habitats for these rare species. The sighting of White-rumped vultures in the Teda region reflects the positive results of conservation efforts.
