Jorbeer, home to endangered birds

“So, you had been to Bikaner”
“Yes”
“Did you go to havelis, forts in Bikaner?”
“No”
“What did you do then?”
“Went to Jorbeer cattle carcass dumping yard!!”
“What? You went all the way from Bengaluru to see dumping yard?”
“Yes!!”
Jorbeer dumping yard

The person on the other side got terribly confused after this conversation. But I was there with Sankara for the whole day in Jorbeer carcass dumping site!! So, whats so interesting in Jorbeer?

Egyptian vulture and Steppe eagle



The raptors like Egyptian vulture, Steppe eagle and eastern imperial eagle are endangered species. It is hard to find them. The usage of diclofenac (Anti inflammatory drug) has lead to the dramatic decline of some of the scavenger birds. Vultures that eat the carcass of animals treated with diclofenac, it causes kidney failure. We have lost nearly 99.9% of vultures because of this. Sankara and me once went to Ramanagara near Bengaluru which has a small area declared as vulture sanctuary. We could not find any bird but got some scolding and “gyaan” by forest department people lazing around!! 

Egyptian Vulture
Jorbeer near Bikaner has a huge dumping yard of cattle and camel carcass making it an ideal place for scavenger birds. When we planned trip to Tal Chhapar,  a day trip to Jorbeer was also included.

Steppe eagle

Our experience
We had started very early from Tal Chhapar. The journey was slow due to fog and bad roads at certain places. It was also surprising to see NHAI collecting tolls on two lane highway!! Anyway, we were at the entrance of Jorbeer at around 10AM and the mist was clearing up. A small checklist with a friendly guard registers the vehicle before letting inside. 

Eastern imperial Eagle
As we drove into the area, we were overwhelmed by the number of Egyptian vultures. They were in hundreds!! Steppe eagles were also found in plenty. 

Griffon vulture

This is not a place for weak hearted. Thought the area is large, it is hard not to miss the dumping place. The dead cattle and camels are brought in lorries and dumped here. People skin the animals while the dogs, vultures and eagles feast on them. It is a weird place place but that is an experience!!

Dumping yard of Jorbeer
We spent about 5-6 hours at Jorbeer with a break for lunch at Bikaner. Apart from raptors, you can also see birds like starlings, Francolin and yellow eyed pigeons. It is also common to find Nilgai and chinkara in the area surrounding dumping yard.

Grey Francolin
Where is Jorbeer?

Jorbeer is about 15 km from Bikaner. Bikaner is a big city well connected to Jaipur and Delhi by trains. I feel it is very convenient to reach by overnight train from Delhi. A visit to Jorbeer is only recommended if you are interested in birds. Else, there is no fun to see the dumping yard!!

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