Egyptian vulture rescued in east Delhi's Patparganj

Vultures (the real ones) are not often spotted in Delhi.

Spotting a 'globally endangered species' -- the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) -- in Delhi is again, not something that happens often.

An injured Egyptian vulture sought shelter in the premises of a temple in east Delhi's Patparganj, and was rescued, Wildlife SOS, a wildlife NGO, said.

"The bird is currently under treatment and observation, and upon complete recovery, it will be released back into its natural habitat," Wildlife SOS said.

THE RESCUE

The injured bird was spotted by a priest. It was him who alerted the NGO.  "The bird had sustained an injury on its right wing. We received a distress call about an injured vulture that had sought a shelter in a temple in Patparganj. The rather unusual looking bird appeared to be in pain and was struggling to fly when a priest of the temple spotted it," Wildlife SOS said.

"This species is rarely spotted in Delhi but in recent years there have been reported sightings near the Yamuna Biodiversity Park and Okhla Bird Sanctuary," Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said.

"Their population is threatened due to factors such as loss of prey base and habitat, poisoning from veterinary drugs and electrocution. This is the second Egyptian Vulture that we have rescued this year," he said.EGYPTIAN VULTURE

Also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaohs chicken, Egyptian vulture is the smallest among all the vultures, the NGO said in a statement.

Egyptian vulture is a globally endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Vulture is a useful scavenger and plays an important role in the ecosystem as by feeding on carrion, and they dispose off the carcasses of dead animals that would otherwise become a breeding ground for infectious diseases, he said.

(With inputs from PTI)