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Rare vulture sighted in Uttar Pradesh village
There is a good news for wildlife lovers. The rare slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), an indigenous species, has been sighted in the Dhakerwara village of north Kheri by members of the Terai Nature Conservation Society.
Talking to The Pioneer, Society’s secretary VP Singh said the extinction figures for this vulture stood at 99.99 per cent in the whole country.
He said the bird they sighted was an adult amongst a flock of vultures. “We sighted a flock of 150 vultures that included nine white-backed vulture, one slender-billed vulture and the rest Himalayan Griffon vultures. The Himalayan Griffon vultures are in abundant as they are migratory birds that come down from the Himalayas. However, the extinction figures for the white-backed vulture stand at 98 per cent,” said Singh.
Singh said the slender-billed vulture has a slender beak and black claws. “It has a very long beak that can reach the innermost viscera of carcass when it feeds on it. This is the precise reason why it is getting extinct as carcass normally contain diclofenac, which is given to cattle as a medicine but is harmful to vultures.” Singh said the other vultures on the verge of extinction include the long-beaked vulture and the white-backed vulture, both indigenous species.
He said the slender-billed vulture was found mainly in the Indo-Nepal terai region.
The Terai Nature Conservation Society, with the support of the British Society for Bird Protection and Bombay Natural Historical Society, is working towards creating a diclofenac-free zone in Uttar Pradesh. “Once this zone is created, we will bring chicks from the vulture breeding centres of the country and release them there after four years. This will increase breeding and thus the number of vultures in the area,” Singh said.
Divisional Forest Officer (North Kheri) AN Singh said the vulture census in May had revealed 118 vultures in his area and they included white-backed, long-billed and red-headed vultures while in the December census, 68 vultures, the Egyptian vulture and the Eurasian vulture, were found.
There is a good news for wildlife lovers. The rare slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), an indigenous species, has been sighted in the Dhakerwara village of north Kheri by members of the Terai Nature Conservation Society.
Talking to The Pioneer, Society’s secretary VP Singh said the extinction figures for this vulture stood at 99.99 per cent in the whole country.
He said the bird they sighted was an adult amongst a flock of vultures. “We sighted a flock of 150 vultures that included nine white-backed vulture, one slender-billed vulture and the rest Himalayan Griffon vultures. The Himalayan Griffon vultures are in abundant as they are migratory birds that come down from the Himalayas. However, the extinction figures for the white-backed vulture stand at 98 per cent,” said Singh.
Singh said the slender-billed vulture has a slender beak and black claws. “It has a very long beak that can reach the innermost viscera of carcass when it feeds on it. This is the precise reason why it is getting extinct as carcass normally contain diclofenac, which is given to cattle as a medicine but is harmful to vultures.” Singh said the other vultures on the verge of extinction include the long-beaked vulture and the white-backed vulture, both indigenous species.
He said the slender-billed vulture was found mainly in the Indo-Nepal terai region.
The Terai Nature Conservation Society, with the support of the British Society for Bird Protection and Bombay Natural Historical Society, is working towards creating a diclofenac-free zone in Uttar Pradesh. “Once this zone is created, we will bring chicks from the vulture breeding centres of the country and release them there after four years. This will increase breeding and thus the number of vultures in the area,” Singh said.
Divisional Forest Officer (North Kheri) AN Singh said the vulture census in May had revealed 118 vultures in his area and they included white-backed, long-billed and red-headed vultures while in the December census, 68 vultures, the Egyptian vulture and the Eurasian vulture, were found.
