Uttar Pradesh: Extinct species of Himalayan Owl found in Kanpur's market; see pic here

On Wednesday, an extinct species of owl, which is rarely seen in the plains, was identified in the Kanpur's market, officials informed. The discovery of this rare owl comes days after the capture of a rare Himalayan Griffon Vulture that was captured by locals.

After being given to the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, the owl was later taken into care by the Kanpur Zoological Park. The Kanpur Zoo's Dr. Rambabu arrived at the scene and explained that the owl was of an extinct species and was rarely seen in the plains.

A local man was taken aback after seeing a Himalayan Owl in the new market. A Himalayan Griffon Vulture was captured over the weekend, and earlier on January 9 residents of a village near Kanpur were thrilled to see it. The village's youth were observed posing with the scavenger bird and stretching its wings fully to display their catch. Experts claim that the Griffon Vulture, one of the largest bird species in the Himalayas, has wingspan of over 6 feet.

(Pic credit: ANI)

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Examining the images also posted on Twitter by ANI, Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan verified: "It looks like a Himalayan Griffon Vulture. Sub-adults are migratory, adults live on higher reaches. They can live upto 40-45 years of age."

These vultures can hunt for dead animals on the ground by flying high in the air due largely to their broad wings. Vultures are known to stop diseases from spreading to humans by eating the carcasses. In several pictures, a Himalayan Griffon Vulture can be seen raising its plume to give itself the appearance of being a "magnificent garuda" when it is in attack mode.

The locals who were playing with the endangered species at the Kanpur Eidgah were fortunate to catch the bird with less vigour because it seemed restrained. The people around it pulled at the bird's magnificent wings or coaxed it like a baby in their arms with hardly any resistance from the bird. According to experts, Himalayan Griffon Vultures can be seen in Terai and nearby areas during the winter as a form of local migration for the species.

arantine in the veterinary hospital of the Allen Forest zoo. pic.twitter.com/ZUWb9hydIa

— IANS (@ians_india) January 9, 2023

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(With inputs from ANI)