25 Himalayan Griffon vulture carcasses found in a UP village. What caused their deaths?

“We suspect the dogs ate the poisoned rice and died. And vultures which fed on their carcasses started collapsing in nearby fields,” Kirti Chaudhary, Deputy Director of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve buffer zone and Divisional Forest Officer (North), Lakhimpur Kheri, told The Indian Express.

“A total of 25 vultures were found dead, while six were rescued in an unconscious state and given injections; four of them later flew away. The remaining birds are being treated at the range campus,” Chaudhary added.

“We have not seen such an incident in the recent past and are trying to ascertain whether there was any intention to target dogs.”

Officials said a panel has been constituted to conduct a post-mortem examination of the dead birds at the Bhira range campus, and the exact cause of death will be known only after the report is received. Viscera samples from the carcasses will be preserved and sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izzatnagar, Bareilly, for detailed examination.

Chaudhary said they would be launching a special awareness drive in the area to educate local villagers against the use of harmful chemicals that might harm the animals. “We are coordinating with the district administration to sensitise the local population and prevent such incidents in the future,” she said.

The village falls in the buffer zone of the reserve, in the Padiya section under Bhira range.

The raptor (Gyps himalayensis) is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Experts have said the Himalayan Griffon vulture is not an endangered species unlike oriental white-backed, slender-billed and lone-billed vultures.