Catching the return flight

IT8217;S a happy sight. The vultures were hovering in the sky while gradually losing altitude. One after another they are settling on trees. The number starts soaring. At least 150 birds have landed on the trees scattered in a few hundred yard area. Two wildlife wardens, Gunraj Singh and Sukhdeep Singh Bajwa, continue watching the birds. The numbers are still going up.

The phenomenon is not usual. Especially when the vultures have white backs and underwings. The 8216;almost extinct8217; Asian white-backed vultures had made a surprise comeback in this part of Punjab.

Now, the carcasses do not rot for weeks; which is something the local farmers cheer over. 8216;8216;Till a few years ago, we were facing a major problem of disposing carcasses. Now, the birds are regular to the scavenging sites,8217;8217; says Gopal Singh, a farmer at village Hara. 8216;8216;About three years ago, we witnessed groups of dead vultures around the pine trees. And gradually there was no trace of the birds. Now they have nests in the jungle,8217;8217; he says.