Saturday 8 September 2018

Save Vulture Project in Himachal Pradesh

The vultures are the scavengers of nature.  The Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug or NSAID veterinary drugs called diclofenac as given to the domestic animals have contributed to almost the complete extinction of several species of vultures. Another drug meloxicam has been found to be harmless to vultures and is an acceptable substitute for diclofenac.
White Rumped Vultures
Wikimedia Commons by UdayKiran28

At present, the species of vultures have not been found in any other district of Himachal Pradesh except Kangra. But a few years ago the vultures were found in all the districts of Himachal Pradesh. The vultures were found to assemble after the death of any animal. But now the environment remains polluted for several days after the death of animals. The Wildlife Department has decided to increase the numbers of vultures for the sake of the environment.

Avoiding the major part of the landmass of India, the vultures have made Himachal Pradesh as their favorite dwelling place. The vultures prefer the peaceful climate of the region.

There are a total of 16 species of vultures in the world. Out of 9 species of vultures found in India, eight species are found in Himachal Pradesh. Only one species of vultures are not found in Himachal Pradesh.

Out of eight species of vultures found in Himachal Pradesh only the existence of one is endangered in the state. The Wildlife Authorities of Himachal are trying hard to conserve this endangered species.

There are 9 species of vultures in India as follows.

1. White-Rumped Vulture -Gyps Bengalensis

2. Egyptian Vulture -Neophron Percnopterus

3. Cinereous Vulture- Aegypius Monachus

4. Griffon Vulture- Gyps Fulvus

5. Slender-Billed Vulture -Gyps Tenuirostris

6. Himalayan Vulture -Gyps Himalayensis

7. Red-Headed Vulture -Sarcogyps Calvus

8. Indian Vulture - Gyps Indicus

9. Bearded Vulture -Gypaetus Barbatus 

All species except the Bearded Vulture are found in Himachal Pradesh.

Endangered Species in Himachal Pradesh
Before 2003, only a few numbers of vultures were found in Himachal Pradesh. The Wildlife Department has recently started the census of vultures in Himachal Pradesh. A decrease in the numbers of the species of White Rumped Vultures has been reported by authorities and it has been declared as an endangered species.

The diclofenac drug given to domestic animals was the reason for almost complete annihilation of the species of vultures. This drug was banned in 2004, but till then the species of White Rumped Vultures have reached the verge of extinction. These species survive on the carcass of dead animals only.

The evidence of its existence has been found in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh when few nests of this species were found there. Except for Kangra region, these species have not been found in other places of Himachal Pradesh.

The discovery of the nests has raised hopes of its conservation. These nests have raised a hope that the number of this endangered species could be increased. The chicks were protected in these nests and now their numbers increasing.

Now the wildlife authorities are working on a long-term specific plan to conserve and protect this endangered species.

As per reports, there are 365 nests of White Rumped species in Kangra district. Out of these nests, there are 313 nests which contain chicks of vultures. As per census records of the Wildlife Department, there were just 24 such nests in 2004. But now the number has drastically increased due to the efforts of the authorities as they took care of these nests and the results are encouraging. There is a likelihood that the numbers of nests will increase in the coming years.

Census in Chamba
The Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh is another region where vulture conservation has taken palace. The Kinnaur district is also going to be another protection destination. With the help of field staff, the authorities are conducting the census of vultures in the wild regions of Chamba.

The cutting of trees would be banned in those forest regions where the nests of vultures are found.

New Plans and Proposals to Protect Vultures
The possibility of the presence of several species of vultures in the forests of Jammu & Kashmir, Nepal and Uttrakhand has been claimed by the wildlife authorities. It has been found that most of the times, the vultures live in these forests. It would be studied that what the resources available in these forests due to which the vultures reside in these areas.

The department is now planning to track the vultures in these regions. This tracking would be done by fixing collars to the vultures. These collars would provide the details about the forest areas in which the particular vulture species prefer to reside by building their nests. 

The collars would also tell that whether the vultures of Himachal go to other regions or not.
The topography and geological conditions of such forest areas would be monitored. Thereafter the efforts would be made to recreate similar conditions in the forests of Himachal Pradesh.

Vulture Restaurants
The Wildlife Department is worried about the existence of all the 8 species found in Himachal Pradesh. Therefore the Department has decided to open vulture restaurants in different regions of Himachal Pradesh. The feeding stations would be established in all the districts of the state.

The food would be made available in these feeding stations which would be spread in an area of 1 Hectare each. These restaurants would be provided with a gate and enclosed by a wire fencing so that other carnivorous animals may not enter into the place.  The food would be put inside these feeding places through the gates.

These restaurants would be opened near the forests where the vultures reside.

A feeding station would be opened at the boundaries of for two districts as per the prevailing situations.

These restaurants would benefit the farmers and villagers too. The Department would pay them for bringing dead animals to the restaurants according to the weight of the dead carcass. It has been found that the people throw the dead animals in an open place which pollutes the environment and the water. But now the dead animals would be disposed of by the vulture restaurants.

The owner of the dead animal would have to inform the Wildlife authorities to get the carcass disposed of. Then the dead body would be carried to the restaurant. At present, the feeding stations have been opened at Sukh Nulla in Jawalamukhi and Dehra in district Kangra.

The target is to provide about 500 dead animals to the vulture restaurant.

The Increasing Tribe of Vultures in Himachal Pradesh



It is good news that the tribes of Vultures, the prominent scavengers of nature are increasing in Himachal Pradesh for the second consecutive year.

The fresh surveys of the Wildlife Department of Himachal Pradesh have revealed that they have found 387 nests of White Rumped Vultures which had 352 healthy chicks. These findings have encouraged the Wildlife Wing.

Recently a survey was conducted in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh in which the authorities worked day and night to trace the nests of the vultures. This year the numbers of nests have increased and 31 new nests were found. Besides, the chicks of vultures have also increased this year. This year 46 more chicks were found. This survey has confirmed that the efforts to preserve the vultures are being made in the right direction.  

Now the authorities are working on a plan to further increase the number of vultures, as a few years ago the species had reached at the verge of extinction.

In 2017-18 there were only 356 nests o the White Rumped Vultures in district Kangra which had just 313 chicks in them.

In 2016-17 there were 337 nests of vultures containing 280 new born chicks.  
In 2014-15 the numbers of nests were 288 and the chicks in them were just 269.

It shows that the numbers of vultures are increasing year by year.
The Wildlife Department had identified the sites and the counting of vultures was done on these 48 sites in district Kangra.

Egyptian Vultures in Himachal Pradesh

During the present survey the authorities have found an Egyptian Species of the Vulture family. These vultures play an important role in keeping the environment clean as being at the top of the food chain they eat everything including the rotten carcass of the animals.

Diclofenac the Vulture Killer

It was found that the pain killer Diclofenac given to the domestic animals was responsible for the almost extinction of the vultures in India. This reason of the deaths of vultures was detected in the nineties of the last century. Diclofenac is given to the animals during different treatments which remained in the bodies of the animals. This led to the slow deaths of the vultures, when they consumed the dead carcass of such animals.