Tanish Ray's Image

A rotting animal carcass had attracted these vultures to a sal tree in Kanha National Park. Tanish turned his camera vertically and used the widest setting on his lens to capture the scale of the scene. He then converted the image to black and white to reflect the eerie atmosphere.

Populations of white-rumped vultures have plummeted to just a few thousand. This decline is largely due to a painkiller given to sick cattle, which poisons vultures that feast on their carcasses. Charities are fighting to stop the use of this drug in cattle as well as running ‘vulture restaurants’ to provide safe food for these iconic birds.