Recently, a significant sighting was made at the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), Bihar. Around 150 vultures were located within the reserve’s confines, sparking off fresh discussions and action plans centered around comprehensive bird conservation.
Understanding Vultures: Nature’s Sanitation Workers
Belonging to a family of 22 species, vultures are large, carrion-eating birds commonly found in tropical and subtropical climates. Their critical role as nature’s garbage collectors significantly contributes to maintaining an environment free from waste. A vital part of ecological balance, vultures assist in curbing wildlife diseases.
India shelters nine species of vultures, including the Oriental white-backed, Long-billed, Slender-billed, Himalayan, Red-headed, Egyptian, Bearded, Cinereous, and the Eurasian Griffon. However, many of these species teeter on the brink of extinction. The Bearded, Long-billed, Slender-billed, and Oriental white-backed vultures enjoy protection under Schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, while the remaining are safeguarded under ‘Schedule IV’.
Threats Endangering Survival of Vultures
Several threats have been identified as endangering the survival of vultures in India. Predominantly, poisoning from diclofenac, a popular livestock medicine, poses grave risks. Other threats include habitat loss due to human activities, lack of food availability and contamination, and electrocution by power lines.
Vulture Conservation Efforts
Prompted by the steady decline in vulture populations, the Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched the Vulture Action Plan 2020-25, aimed at conserving these precious birds. One of the salient features of this plan is to regulate the use of Diclofenac and protect vultures from poisoned cattle carcasses, their primary food source.
Eight different locations, including two in Uttar Pradesh, are slated to act as Vulture Safe Zones, providing safe havens for existing vulture populations. The plan further outlines the establishment of four rescue centres in Pinjore (North India), Bhopal (Central India), Guwahati (Northeast) and Hyderabad (South India) to scale up conservation efforts.
Moreover, the ministry has introduced conservation plans specifically focused on red-headed and Egyptian vultures, incorporating breeding programmes for both species. To explore reasons behind vulture mortality, a Vulture Care Centre (VCC) was set up at Pinjore, Haryana, in 2001. By 2004, the VCC had evolved into India’s first Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre (VCBC). Today, the country hosts nine such VCBCs, with three directly overseen by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
About Valmiki Tiger Reserve
Located on the India-Nepal border in Bihar’s West Champaran district, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve forms the easternmost limit of the Himalayan Terai forests in India. Established in March 1994 under Project Tiger, it houses a vast array of wildlife. Extensive array of avifauna diversity is found here, with over 250 bird species reported. The dominant local tribe ‘Tharu’ cohabits peacefully within the landscape of the Valmiki National Park.
In addition to the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar is home to several other protected areas, including Bhimbandh Sanctuary, Rajgir Sanctuary, Kaimur Sanctuary, Kanwar Jheel Bird Sanctuary, Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin, and Gautambudha Sanctuary.
