Vultures, India’s critically endangered scavenging birds are finally making a comeback after more than a decade. The vultures, considered to be on the verge of extinction in India, appear to have found a safe habitat in Himachal Pradesh.
A large flock of about 100 vultures including two critically endangered (CE) species of White-Rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) were sighted at the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday.
Ecologist and environmentalist TK Roy, who is the coordinator of Asia Waterbird Census (AWC) alongwith his team spotted the flock during his visit to the sanctuary on Friday. Talking to The Pioneer, Roy said, “A large flock of about 100 vultures including White-Rumped vulture (around 80) and Egyptian vulture (about 16) had been attracted by a naturally dead buffalo’s carcass in the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary. The large number of vultures at one place indicates that the vulture population is increasing in Himachal.”
The Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Kangra district of Himachal.The Sanctuary is a home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Over 200 species of bird belonging to 54 families have been sighted around the Pong lake and on the surrounding mud-banks.
“After a long time, such a large number of vultures were sighted at one spot. The population of vultures is increasing slowly following the conservation initiatives of the state government,” he added.
The vultures are categorised as critically endangered on the list of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). And, they are also protected under Schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Both the species –White-Rumped vulture and Egyptian vulture—are notified as critically endangered species on the IUCN red list of threatened birds globally. These species suffered an extremely rapid population decline primarily as a result of feeding on carcasses of animals treated with the veterinary drug diclofenac in India.
Roy informed, “The population of White-Rumped Vulture had seen 99 percent decline since mid 1990s in the Indian sub-continent due to feeding on carcass of animals, treated with veterinary drug Diclofenac. This drug leads to renal failure and cause visceral gout in vultures.”
The diclofenac has been banned by the Union Government and safe alternative veterinary drug meloxicam is being used now.
“In an earlier study, it was observed that the numbers of White-Rumped Vulture declined by 99.9 percent between 1992 and 2007 each year during that period. The population of White-Rumped Vulture had an average annual rate of decline of 43.9
percent between 2000-2007,” informed Roy.
The vulture, known as king scavengers plays a key role in the environment as ecosystem service provider as it feeds on carrion and keeps the natural environment clean and controls spreading viral diseases from decaying carrions.
At present, the conservation effort of SAVE (Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction) in collaboration with Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) are successfully running in three captive breeding centres in India i.e. in Assam, West Bengal and Haryana.
Roy informed, “Poisoned and wounded vultures is also rescued and rehabilitated by a Rescue Centre in Assam as Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation being run by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).”
According to a research by BHNS, the number of vultures increased marginally between 2011 and 2012 in the country. Between 2011 and 2012, there has been a slight increase in the population.
In 2012, the numbers were slightly higher than in 2011, when there were only 1,000 slender-billed vultures (Gyps tenuirostris), 11,000 white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) and 44,000 long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus) remaining in the country, according to the research paper by BHNS.
The three most common species of vultures in the country are the long-billed vulture, also known as the Indian vulture, the white-backed vulture and the slender-billed vulture.