Vulture, Rescued During 2017 Cyclone, Airlifted From Tamil Nadu To Rajasthan, Set To Fly Again

Cyclone Ockhi that struck the southern Indian coast in 2017 killed more than 300 people and adversely impacted the day-to-day lives of thousands of others in Tamil Nadu and other states. Apart from humans, animals and birds were also badly hit. One such bird, a migratory cinereous vulture was stranded during the cyclone in coastal Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu in 2017 and could not fly back. The forest department came to its rescue and helped it undergo rehabilitation for years. 

With proper veterinary care of the forest officials, the vulture completely recovered and grew into an adult and was fit to be released into the wild, as per the Forest Department in Tamil Nadu. The vulture was named "Okhi" after cyclone Ockhi.

Now, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Supriya Sahu has shared the incredible story of the vulture with informing that it was taken onboard an Air India flight for relocation in Rajasthan. News agency PTI said that the migratory bird was flown to Jodhpur and will be released in the Machia Biological Park. The vulture boarded the flight on Thursday.

Sharing the heartwarming real life story of a beautiful vulture"Okhi" & his incredible journey from Tamil Nadu to Rajasthan."Okhi"a migratory Cinereous vulture was injured in Okhi Cyclone in 2017 & could not fly back.Our Okhi flew @airindiain early morning today for rewilding pic.twitter.com/yqVbdE1ZKR

— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) November 3, 2022

She said in the caption of the post, "Sharing the heartwarming real life story of a beautiful vulture"Okhi" & his incredible journey from Tamil Nadu to Rajasthan."Okhi"a migratory Cinereous vulture was injured in Okhi Cyclone in 2017 & could not fly back.Our Okhi flew @airindiain early morning today for rewilding."

"The vulture was transported in a special cage designed with proper ventilation and space," said the bureaucrat. 

The decision to transport the vulture by air was taken after considering a lot of factors. Since the Machia Biological Park is located around 2,600 km from Kanyakumari, it would have taken a minimum four or five days to transport the bird by road or railways as halts would be required to reduce stress on the bird. 

Also Read: 10 Captive-Bred Vultures Of Critically Endangered Species Released In Bengal

Accordingly, permission was obtained from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to transport the vulture by air for the first time in the country. Necessary clearance and logistics support were provided, Ms Sahu added.

A special aircraft with more cargo space and ventilation was arranged and the pilots were apprised of ensuring proper ventilation for the bird during the flight, said the PTI report. There was a halt of three hours at Delhi airport. The bird was kept calm during the halt and was also provided water. The airport staff were instructed to cautiously handle the cage to prevent stress on the vulture and ensure priority to loading and unloading.