Vulture population plummets

MUMBAI, AUGUST 8: For city dwellers, the vulture is simply a forbidding-looking predatory bird that scavenges garbage dumps for dead carc...

MUMBAI, AUGUST 8: For city dwellers, the vulture is simply a forbidding-looking predatory bird that scavenges garbage dumps for dead carcasses. But for the ornithologist, it has become a rare and delightful sight acirc;euro;ldquo; considering the fact that the population of these birds has crashed by a stunning 95 per cent over the last decade, revealed ornithologists at a press conference held by the Bombay Natural History Society BNHS on Friday.

8220;It is a dangerous sign if the population of these scavengers begins to decline. If vultures start dying in large numbers, what will happen to animal carcasses?8221; asked Dr Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist at the BNHS. Dr Prakash, along with a host of other ornithologists, revealed that the population of vultures in India has reduced by a massive margin of 95 per cent on the basis of specific studies conducted over the last decade.

8220;In 1986, there were nearly 2,000 vultures and 350 vulture nests in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur. Today, there are just 25 nests, withhardly any vultures left,8221; said Dr Prakash. Added Dr S M Satheesan, an ornithologist with the World Wide Fund for Nature WWF, India, there were nearly 8,000 vultures three years ago in Rampur Uttar Pradesh, but their population has now dwindled to an alarming 20. S S Husain, another ornithologist remarked, 8220;The reason could be chemical pesticide contamination, viral/bacterial diseases, or the poisoning of carcasses by villagers. In fact, in metros like Mumbai and Delhi, there are virtually no vultures anymore because most dead animals are now mechanically processed in abattoirs.8221; Dr Prakash said a national countdown to save vultures will soon start. With the help of the country8217;s forests departments and NGOs, a certain day during their breeding season September-October will be earmarked for spotting them and conducting a head-count throughout the country. The BNHS will also carry out detailed post-mortems of two particular species 8211; the white-backed vulture and the long-billed vulture.

An alerthas already been sounded to the Ministry of Environment and Forests as also on the Internet, to involve international organisations.