A rare Egyptian vulture was rescued by non-profit organisation 'Wildlife SOS' rapid response unit after it was found in a critical state at St. Peter's church in Uttar Pradesh state's Agra city.
On Saturday, members of the church were shocked to find a vulture lying in a semi-conscious state in the garden. Seeing its worrisome condition, they immediately contacted Wildlife SOS, who confirmed that the bird was a juvenile Egyptian vulture.
After a proper medical examination by Wildlife SOS veterinarians, it was revealed that the bird was suffering from severe dehydration and heat exhaustion due to a sudden rise in the temperature.
"Juvenile Egyptian vultures take small flights, often stopping for rest in safe areas devoid of predators. This particular vulture was unable to take flight due to severe dehydration and heatstroke", Deputy Director of Veterinary Services for Wildlife SOS Ilayaraja Selvaraj told IANS.
While the vulture is currently recuperating and is under observation at the NGO's recovery facility, the veterinarians are planning to release the bird into its natural habitat upon its full recovery.
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, told IANS: "The Egyptian vulture is a rare raptor that plays an integral role in our ecosystem. As vultures fly at higher altitudes, they are more prone to suffer from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Our team has placed the vulture under medical observation to ensure it recuperates safely from the ordeal".