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Veterinarians rescue vultures injured at Gujarat
Kite Festival

20 vultures arrived at the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at the end of April, thanks to the hard work of a team of dedicated veterinarians and the collaboration of conservation and animal welfare groups in Gujarat and Haryana States. The successful transfer of birds follows a veterinary workshop held at Pinjore in October 2005, supported by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), with Andrew Routh from the Zoological Society of London taking the lead. This was attended by the veterinarians employed by the BNHS and an additional colleague from the Animal Help Foundation (AHF) based in Ahmedabad.

In addition to establishing the skills needed to manage the vultures held in the breeding centres, part of the rationale for the workshop was to train a veterinary team in anticipation of the 2006 Kite Festival in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. During this annual festival many bird species are injured or killed by the kite strings that are covered with powdered glass. After the 2005 Kite Festival a visit to a rescue facility run by the AHF showed them to be overwhelmed by the volume of injured birds.


	The 20 vultures from Gujarat arrive at Pinjore, prior to their release in to the aviaries


	An injured white-backed vulture from Gujarat following successful treatment


	For the 2006 Kite Festival the AHF facilities were relocated at a new site outside the city limits and their veterinary team was augmented by veterinarians from the Pinjore Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre, the Central Zoo in Kathmandu and Andrew Routh. The large number of bird casualties, especially black kites (Milvus migrans), allowed the vets to familiarise themselves with equipment and techniques whilst providing improved management of the injured birds. A protocol had been set up so that injured vultures would be prioritised for rescue. When an injured vulture was reported a team, including a veterinarian, would be sent out to provide on-site first aid. After transport to the AHF centre vultures were stabilized and triaged for anaesthesia and surgery. Over the three-day period of the Kite Festival and in the days following, some 20 injured vultures, comprising over 20% of the estimated remaining Ahmedabad population, were amongst the several hundred birds admitted and treated. Survival rates were markedly higher than in previous years, due to the improved organisation of the treatment and the skills of all the veterinarians involved. These 20 birds are now an important addition to the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre.