Vulture and various birds migrate to the Doon valley during the winters. However, these birds face the risk of death by electrocution and other factors particularly in the area where livestock carcasses are dumped.
In order to address this threat a consultation workshop with livestock carcass disposal workers and contracts of Doon valley will be held on Thursday to ensure a safe wintering location for the endangered vultures. The scope for developing vulture-safe zones in Uttarakhand is also slated to be discussed in the workshop which is being organised by Wildlife Trust of India in collaboration with the Uttarakhand Forest Department, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (United Kingdom). According to the workshop organisers, the half-day-long workshop will be held at the forest rest house in Jhajhra range of the Dehradun forest division.
It is pertinent to mention here that the onset of winter season is also marked by migration of several species of vultures, eagles, buzzards and other birds of prey from higher altitudes to the Doon valley. The livestock carcasses that are disposed of on the outskirt of Doon valley, particularly in the Jhajhra range, serve as the main food source for these migrating birds of prey.
A research team monitoring the population of vultures and other birds of prey had recorded the vulture mortalities in 2015 due to electrocution, especially at those carcass dumping sites which are located close to high tension power lines. Between January and April last year about 40 Himalayan Griffon vultures died from electrocution. The forest department has facilitated a safe carcass dumping site in the Jhajhra range to prevent such mortalities.
However, during the winter season in late 2015 and early 2016, it has been observed that the livestock carcasses are being dumped at various locations in the Asan river basin of Doon valley with the threat of electrocution being present in some of these sites.
This comes at a time when the Haryana forest department and BNHS are planning to release captive bred and reared vultures in the Morni hills for the first time after drastic decline of vultures in India.
With the Doon valley being located about 50 to 80 kilometres from the Morni hills, the released vultures are also expected to fly in to Doon to feed on the livestock carcasses. Considering the situation, it is pertinent to ensure that such dumping sites are in a safe zone free from electrocution hazards.
Additionally, it is also important to ensure that the carcasses are free from Diclofenac contamination. The consultation workshop in Dehradun is being organised in this background with the livestock carcass disposal workers and contractors of Doon valley to ensure a safe wintering location for the endangered vultures.