Vultures: Tamil Nadu launches mission to save.

News Highlight

The Tamil Nadu government formed a state-level committee to set up an institutional framework for the effective conservation of vultures.

Key Takeaway

• In Tamil Nadu, four species of vultures are found 
  • The Oriental white­backed vulture
  • The long­ billed vulture
  • The red-headed vulture
  • The Egyptian vulture.

• The first three are residents and can be found in the landscapes of the Nilgiris and Sathyamangalam.
• There is evidence of Egyptian vulture breeding only at one site in Dharmapuri.

Vultures:

• About
  • It is one of the 22 species of large carrion-eating birds that live predominantly in the tropics and subtropics.
• Vultures and India:
  • India is home to 9 species of Vulture, namely 
    • The Oriental white-backed
    • Long-billed
    • Slender-billed
    • Himalayan
    • Red-headed
    • Egyptian
    • Bearded
    • Cinereous 
    • Eurasian Griffon
  • Most of these nine species face the danger of extinction.
• Habitat:
  • The preferred habitats of the Vulture are deserts, savannas and grassland near a water source. 
  • It also inhabits open mountain ranges up to 3,000 metres above sea level.
• Significance:
  • They act an essential function as nature’s garbage collectors and help to keep the environment clean of waste.
  • Vultures also play a valuable role in keeping wildlife diseases in check.
  • Despite feeding on infected carcasses, vultures do not get infected. The acids in their stomach are potent enough to kill the pathogen.
  • The birds also prevent the contamination of water sources, especially in the wild. 
• IUCN status:
  • White-rumped vulture (Critically Endangered)
  • Slender-billed vulture (Critically Endangered)
  • Long-billed vulture (Critically Endangered)
  • Red-headed vulture (Critically Endangered)
  • Egyptian vulture (Endangered)
  • Himalayan Griffon (Near Threatened)
  • Cinereous vulture (Near Threatened)
  • Bearded vulture (Near Threatened)
  • Griffon Vulture (Least Concern).
• Threats:
  • Poisoning from diclofenac is used as a medicine for livestock.
  • Loss of natural habitats due to anthropogenic activities.
  • Food dearth and contaminated food.
  • Electrocution by Power lines.

Vulture Population status in India

• Declining status:
  • Number of vultures has constantly declined since the 1990s.
  • Between the 1990s and 2007, the number of three critically-endangered species, the Oriental white-backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures, decreased massively, with 99% of the species being wiped out.
  • The number of red-headed vultures, also critically endangered now, declined by 91% while the Egyptian vultures by 80%.
• Causes for the 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.

Conservation Efforts

• ‘Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025’
  • It proposes establishing Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres in Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme:
  • The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) also established the Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme.
• The Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2006:
  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (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.
• Vultures Census: 
  • Coordinated nationwide vulture counting involving forest departments, the Bombay Natural History Society, research institutes, nonprofits and members of the public. 
  • This would be for a more accurate estimate of the size of vulture populations in the country.
• Database on Threats to Vulture: 
  • A database on emerging threats to vulture conservation, including collision and electrocution and unintentional poisoning.

Content Source: The Hindu

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Created on October 20, 2022 By Pavithra

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1. The preferred habitat of the Vulture are deserts, savannas and grasslands.
2. Vultures play a valuable role in keeping wildlife diseases in check.

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