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In News
- Nationwide census of vultures will be conducted after a gap of 6 years.
- The last census was carried out in 2015 .
- Organization involved in the census: Bombay Pure Historical past Society (BNHS), a wildlife analysis organisation.
Vulture Population in India
- Declining status:
- Number of vultures has seen a constant decline since the 1990s.
- Between the 1990s and 2007, numbers of three presently critically-endangered species, the Oriental white-backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures, decreased massively with 99% of the species having been wiped out.
- The number of red-headed vultures, also critically-endangered now, declined by 91% while the Egyptian vultures by 80%.
- The decline in vulture populations came into limelight in the mid-90s.
- Importance of Vultures:
- Vultures are carcass feeders & play a significant role in the natural mechanism of infection control.
- Despite feeding on infected carcasses, vultures do not get infected. The acids in their stomach are potent enough to kill the pathogen.
- It will clean up, and keep the ecosystem healthy.
- The birds also prevent the contamination of water sources, especially in the wild.
- Vultures are carcass feeders & play a significant role in the natural mechanism of infection control.
- Causes for decline:
- Use of Diclofenac: A veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in 2004 found in the carcass of cattle the vultures feed on.
- The veterinary use of this was banned in 2008.
- Use of Diclofenac: A veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in 2004 found in the carcass of cattle the vultures feed on.
- Pesticides: The presence of organochlorine pesticide, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals were also the cause of mortality.
- Lack of Nesting Trees
- Electrocution by power lines
- Food Dearth and Contaminated Food
- Conservation Efforts
- Vulture Action Plan 2025
- The Vulture Safe Zone programme is being implemented at eight different places in the country where there were extant populations of vultures, including two in Uttar Pradesh.
- The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) also established the Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme.
- The MoEFCC released the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2006 with the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) banning the veterinary use of diclofenac in the same year.
- At present, there are nine Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India, of which three are directly administered by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
- Vulture Action Plan 2025
Pictorial representation of the IUCN status of different vulture species.
Image courtesy: TheIndianwire
Way Ahead
- There is a need for the strict implementation of the Insecticide Act 1968 to regulate the use of pesticides.
- Creating awareness among the cattle owners is the only way to prevent deliberate poisoning aimed towards eliminating problematic large carnivores.
Source:TOI
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