Workshop in Thailand draws on SAVE for developing Red-headed Vulture Conservation Program

In situ captive breeding facility visit in HKK site, 19 October 2025.

Since extirpation of the last Red-headed Vulture population from Thailand in 1992, there has been great interest in working towards their return. Although only small numbers of migrant Himalayan and Cinereous Vultures have been sighted in Thailand over the past decade, there are a few Red-headed Vultures held in captivity by Zoological Parks Organization of Thailand.  In 2023, the first captive-bred offspring successfully fledged in Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, followed by a second female fledged by a breeding pair held in Huai Khakhaeng wildlife sanctuary (HKK) in 2024 – a former breeding site for the species. These encouraging steps have led to the growing ambition to breed and release the species back in the HKK area in future, which is part of the Western Forest Complex of Thailand.

There is interest in integrating a modified Vulture Safe Zone approach as a component of the Red-headed Vulture population recovery project in Thailand. With this objective in mind, a two-day planning workshop on 18-19 October 2025 invited veterinary surgeon Andrew Routh from the SAVE Technical Advisory Panel and veterinarian Dr Arpassorn Routh as key resource persons to share experience from elsewhere in Asia with the aim of developing a more detailed plan. This followed on from Thailand’s attendance at this year’s SAVE meeting in Cambodia by three senior members of the project who presented an outline history of the project to participants.

After driving from Bangkok, there was an afternoon excursion on the first day, to look at the habitat and to see the work being done to enhance prey species populations. Andrew then led a lively evening workshop and discussion. Following an overview of the project and discussion of IUCN guidelines on reintroductions and Disease Risk Assessments, specific perceived risks were reviewed and the use of Risk Matrices was proposed as a useful tool.

The staged establishment of a VSZ will be adapted, but somewhat different from the examples in India and Nepal, mainly because the threat posed by veterinary NSAIDs in the area is not considered to be of such critical importance – hence the cattle carcass-sampling model is less appropriate. As there are no wild birds the tagging and monitoring of 25 birds over two years to assess mortalities is also not feasible.

An assessment is needed to ascertain how far released vultures may travel to establish the boundaries of the proposed VSZ but one has to assume the potential for birds to head east and to be exposed to anthropogenic risks.

Investigations will be made into legal and illegal NSAID availability and use, although the mixed agricultural system with low intensity livestock farming is believed to have extremely low use of the NSAIDs of concern. Education and promotion of vulture-safe NSAIDs will still however be undertaken. Other perceived risks put forward include collision or electrocution by powerlines, illegal incidental shooting, domestic and feral dogs attacking birds on the ground, and road and rail accidents. There is an assumption that the healthy tiger population and associated ungulate kills would provide a sufficient source of food. Whether the birds could locate such kills is unknown, and the need to provide carcasses in the medium term was acknowledged with this in mind.

Although it is likely to take a number of years to breed sufficient birds for release, it is already important to start assessments of food availability in the surrounding forests, and with no wild birds currently in the area, there is the further challenge of anchoring the released birds to the area. It is envisaged that satellite tagging would be essential for any such released vultures.

The proposed project and future release site is within the HKK Wildlife Sanctuary, close to the current breeding centre. To the north, west and south there are extensive tracts of forest – the area was the former stronghold for the species and now hosts a population of 120 tigers along with good densities of Sambar and Banteng. Some 10km to the east one moves out of protected areas and into a region of agriculture and centres of population, with all the allied infrastructure one would expect in a developed country. Red-headed Vultures have yet to return since the poisoning incident, despite the apparently suitable habitat and food availability.

The second day of the workshop was devoted to a visit to the Project Operation Area, deep in the HKK forest, to review facilities and husbandry. The captive birds in their 20 metre high breeding aviary are mainly monitored via close-circuit TV. The release aviaries will be built close by, so that phase can be monitored by the same staff-team, i.e. both the breeding and soft release components.

Visit to Project Area

Looking further ahead, although there are many suitable trees for nesting sites, nesting platforms close to the release site are planned to help with closer monitoring and anchoring the birds to the core area. Note although the breeding aviary contains two large trees the nesting so far has taken place on the platforms provided.

Dr. Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua  Head representative from Kasetsart University / Project working group made the following comments:

“Red-headed Vulture has been extirpated in the wilderness of Thailand 3 decades ago.   Currently the population recovery plan for the species has been originated through the in situ captive breeding program with 2 breeding pairs; one pair located in Korat Zoo and, the second in HKK site. With such a limited breeding stock, the project faces a challenging future, however with the cooperation of relevant organizations sharing their expertise and resources; Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Zoological Parks Organization of Thailand, Kasetsart University and Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, we hope for the production of at least two captive-bred offspring within 3 years.

However, the project’s prospect is far from an easy task, all involved strongly feel their efforts would be fruitful and the outcome promising if provided with international partnerships the new genetic makeup of breeding stock, and shared expertise on the establishment of vulture safe zone in the HKK sanctuary and vicinity where the captive-bred vultures will be gradually released back into the wild, after they have been accustomed to the dry deciduous forest with  supplementary feeding to enhance their post-released survival in the suitable habitat that harbor significant wild ungulate carcasses (sambar deer, banteng, gaur) produced by the viable population of tigers in the sanctuary.”

Compiled by ZPOT team, Saowaphang Sanannu, Andrew Routh, Chris Bowden

You can follow the project’s progress at: https://www.facebook.com/ThailandredheadedVultureproject