Birding at Jorbeer Vulture Conservation Reserve in Bikaner India
Bikaner surprised me with its breed of vultures!
During my stay in Bikaner, one early morning accompanied by couple of friends, I ventured into the feeding grounds of vultures! Vulture Sanctuary is situated in Jorbeer village of Bikaner, Rajasthan India.
It was easy to locate the sanctuary; a big board with a picture of vulture confirmed the location. Leaving the vehicle here we walked towards the sighting tower. But the sight of vultures feeding on carcass was nowhere around.
Jorbeer Vulture Conservation Reserve Sign Board
Disappointed we returned to the entry point when we were told we have to walk further inside beyond the watch tower. So we set back again… we walked and walked may be for half an hour… actually not for so long but in the deserted desert area every minute seemed so long.
Jorbeer carcass dumping site is another 10minutes walk from the watch tower.
Jorbeer Vulture Sanctuary Bikaner
And then we spotted hundreds of birds, hovering around a small area. As we reached closer, the sight stunned us. There were all kinds of birds; vultures, eagles, egrets and even dogs feeding on carcass dumped there.
Jorbeer Vulture Conservation Reserve Bikaner
Jorbeer Sanctuary is a dumping ground for the carcass of cattle and camels. The Camel Research Center of Bikaner is close to this. Migratory birds like vultures, eagles and kites from colder regions in north find this an ideal feeding ground during winters. They start arriving from October onward and remain here till they fly away after February. There is sufficient food for the scavengers.
The place seems well protected from land sharks with good strong fencing. I am sure there are other approach roads to this place, though I couldn’t trace out any.
Vultures, Kites, Eagles
Vegetation in Jorbeer
Jorbeer Vulture Park is about 20sqkm. It is almost a barren land with sparsely growing trees of Khejri, Salvadora, Ber, Ker and Neem trees. All animal carcasses from Bikaner district is dumped in the centre of the park. It is estimated approximately 10-30 carcasses are dumped from around 40 villages around Jorbeer.
Vultures and Birds in Jorbeer Conservation Reserve
Some of the frequently spotted birds here are: Migratory birds like: Eurasian Griffon from Spain and Turkey, Cinereous from Mongolia and Tibet, Himalayan Griffons from Central Asia.
Other species are: Egyptian Vulture, King Vulture, Black Kite, Steppe Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Indian Spotted Eagle, Imperial eagle, White tailed Eagle etc.
Smaller birds like Black Drongo, Wheatears, and Shrikes too feed on these dead animals here. They must have adapted to this eating habit, I thought.
Other Animals…
While approaching the place we sighted several holes on the ground big enough for a snake or a rodent. Small rodent called the Desert Jerd thrive here. You have to walk carefully lest you slip your foot in to one of them and return with a sprain in your leg.
So what happens during summers when these migratory birds are not there to feed on the carcasses? Local dogs feed on these carcasses.
This is one of the reasons why stray dogs flourish here. They can get ferocious over sharing of food and often attack the migratory birds.
Holes in ground
Strange World of Coexistence
What a sight! It was neither beautiful nor mesmerizing, yet stunning! Birds of different species were going about their feeding activity totally unmindful of humans around. Few men were engrossed in extracting skin from the dead animals. It was a strange world of coexistence!
By now my stomach had started grumbling, in my hurry to get here I had skipped my own energy boosters. But the sight had such a revolting effect I couldn’t think of having even a bite of any food there and for a long time afterwards.
Man extracting leather
Fall and Rise in Vulture Population
Some years back there was a drastic fall in the number of birds here due to poisoning of birds through use of diclofenac. It is a pesticide used for plants; carcass of animals feeding on these plants had affected the bird population. After the cause was identified the drug was banned. Ever since then there has been a steady increase in vulture population here.
Tips to visit Jorbeer Vulture Conservation Reserve
- Don’t take you vehicle till the site of carcass dump. There is loose sand around and good chances of your vehicle getting stuck there.
- Stay away from the dogs especially if you see a pack of them, they are very territory conscious.
- Watch where you step, because there are so many holes around. One, you can injure your foot and watch out for slithering slimy snakes.
- Take zoom lens if you have. It is a good opportunity for bird photography.
- No restaurant or washrooms nearby.
- Carry your own water.
Nearby Sightseeing places in Bikaner
Tal Chappar Black Buck Sanctuary,
Location and How to Reach Jorbeer
Jorbeer Conservation Reserve is located south east of Bikaner city in Rajasthan India.
Bikaner is well connected to other cities by air, rail and road. Distance between Bikaner railway station to Jorbeer Vulture Conservation Reserve is 11km. You can hire private vehicles or state transport buses to reach the place.
Bikaner Rly Stn to Jorbeer Vulture Conservation Reserve – Google Map
Open Timings: Morning 6 to Evening 6
Tickets: No tickets were needed when I visited in Oct 2018. Please check if rules have changed.
Best time to visit: Mornings and Evenings during winters for the migratory birds.
Pin this for later…
Thanks for this info..
I’m a student from Bikaner itself but never visited it..
Through your rich experience I got to know many things and will visit it soon..
I had visited this place this Feb. I observed that the Feral Dogs out there are quite disciplined. in one sense. It was noticed that when the carcass skinniin was in process the dogs kept a distance of abour 15-20 ft in a circular formation patiently from the team busy in skinning. Once they finished the skinning skinning rolled_up the skins, loaded into the minitruck and moved away from the carcasses THE DOGS SWOOPED ON TO THE CARCASSES snapping on the meat chunks and moving under the whatever little available shade under the local vegetation.
The Raptors & Scavengers waiting for their share perched on the trees around then swooped down to shred out & nbble on the leftover raw meat still stuck on the bones
That is a great observation by you. Thank you so much for adding this info here in my blog.
Oh my gosh! What an incredible sight! I would have never thought of it but it makes perfect sense for the carcasses of deceased animals to serve a purpose such as feeding the vultures in winter. I bet it also stops the vultures from going after local livestock and other animals.
Vultures have a bad reputation as scavengers and that’s a little unfair. They are part of the natural cycle, someone needs to do something with those carcasses! I remember visiting a bird park years ago and the trainer asked a vulture to step across people legs as they were sitting on the ground. That was designed the debunk the myth that vultures steal sheep out of the sky… This is an enduring myth in Europe but the reality is that the vulture’s claws are too soft to be able to lift a whole sheep. And indeed, the vulture stepping on my ankle was nothing to worry about and I got to look at it close…
Oh my, this certainly is something I’ve never seen. I would have never guessed this type of place would be open to the public for viewing. You have some great tips about the dogs and that there are no public facilities.
Our daughter is an ornithologist. And I am sure she would love to visit Bikaner and see the Vulture Santuary. And she would be enthralled to see the sky filled with all kinds of different birds. Good to know that they found the cause of the decline in vulture populations. And have made changes that have led to them re-populating.
What an interesting thing! Never knew this place existed, definitely putting it up on my list. Thanks for this article!