HUBBALLI: A vulture, which had a GPS tracker and was found in the vicinity of the Kadamba Naval Base in Karwar of Uttara Kannada district, created a flutter on Sunday as security officials wondered whether the bird was being used for espionage purposes.
But their suspicion was unfounded as the GPS tag on the bird was found to be fitted by the the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). “The vulture was tagged for research purposes and there are records that similar GPS-tagged birds flying around Karwar. Its said that the vulture had been released from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.
The transmitter on its back bears the website address mahaforest.gov.in,” a district administration official said. Naval base authorities had been tracking the bird and on Sunday, they managed to take its photos and videos and the GPS tag. Local residents along the riverbank in Karwar had taken photographs of the bird and informed naval authorities a day earlier.
Naval authorities tried to catch the bird, but it flew away. Naval Base authorities are on a heightened level of alert as recently, five people, including officials and local labourers, were arrested for passing on sensitive information to enemy nations on Phase 2 of the Kadamba Naval Base and warships. Later, a drone was spotted flying over the Naval Base at night. The sighting of the bird only further pushed security officials to the edge.
“The locals informed the authorities as the Kaiga nuclear power plant and the Naval Base are situated here. The Karwar police, forest department and state and central intelligence agency officials arrived at the scene. When we zoomed in on the tracker with the camera, the details on the tracker could be seen,” a district official said.
