Jodhpur: Cinereous vulture 'Ockhi', who was airlifted to the Machia Biological Park in Rajasthan's Jaipur on Thursday for rewilding, remains physically stable after the journey and took diet at the sanctuary, noted officials on Friday. The bird, which strayed away from its flock and into Kanyakumari town shortly after cyclone 'Ockhi' hit Tamil Nadu back in 2017, was flown to Jaipur in an Air India flight.
Visuals from the scene displayed the vulture appearing from the cage and checking out its surroundings. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr. Gyan Prakash, a resident doctor at the park, however, noted that Ockhi would need to be kept under observation for at least 24 hours due to the long journey.
"The bird is completely healthy. It has eaten the meat and drank water. For the next 24 hours, we are going to keep it under observation, and soon will begin training to get it habituated," he said.
Harendra, a research scholar from the Wildlife Institute of India, said a study would be conducted to ascertain where in the state concentration of migratory Cinereous vulture flocks would be highest, and accordingly, 'Ockhi' would be taken to the concerned location. There are about 8000 vultures left in nature, with most of the Eurasian species seen in central Asian nations such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.
