Endangered vulture with broken wing rescued in Delhi

Image for representational purpose only

New Delhi: A rare Egyptian vulture with injuries to its right wing was on Saturday rescued by a wildlife conservation and rescue organisation from outside a house in east Delhi.

The bird is currently undergoing treatment.

A rapid response team of wildlife conservation and rescue organisation, Wildlife SOS, got a call about an injured vulture that was found outside a house in Mayur Vihar Phase I.

According to Wildlife SOS, the bird was lying on the side of the road and was struggling to fly. A two-member rescue team was promptly sent to the location. The bird was identified as an Egyptian vulture.

"It is suspected that this Egyptian Vulture must have been hit by a manja (glass-coated string) of a flying kite. The vulture's right wing was severely injured. It had to be rushed to the rescue facility for treatment," the statement said.

Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) also called the white scavenger vulture or Pharaoh's Chicken is the smallest among all vultures. It is a globally endangered species on the IUCN Red List.

Geeta Seshamani, co-founder Wildlife SOS, said that X-ray reports revealed that the vulture's right wing bone has been damaged. 

"We are not sure if it will be able to recover enough to fly again. Our team is doing its best to provide the bird with necessary medical treatment for its injuries," Seshamani said in a statement.