Vulture ‘restaurants’ draw rare bird back

MUMBAI: At this restaurant, tables are reserved only for the unique and rare white-rumped vultures (Gyps Bengalensis). An endangered species, their numbers have increased after the state forest department launched the 'vulture restaurant' project a year ago in Phansad wildlife sanctuary near Murud, in Raigad district, in association with the NGO Shrushtidnyan. 

To celebrate the project's success and to create awareness about the important role of the scavengers in the food chain and ecology, the department will hold a day-long vulture festival on April 12 at the sanctuary. 

This region once housed a large number of vultures but witnessed a sharp decline in their numbers in the last few years, probably due to shortage of food. Once the project was launched, the forest department urged villagers to donate carcasses of farm animals for vultures, offering incentives and arranging transport facilities for the same. Now, the population of vultures seen here has gone up to nearly 17. Forest guards have noted at least 11 nests and two hatchings on tall trees on the periphery of the special platform built to feed carcasses to the birds. 

Executive director of Shrushtidnyan, Prashant Shinde informed, "These birds do not build nests or breed so easily, so sighting of nests and hatchlings is a positive sign. We are holding this festival to share and highlight our common concerns towards protecting this magnificent but endangered bird. We are mobilizing villagers, children, youth and women to participate." 

The NGO has planned forest trails and bird watching, wildlife photography, film screenings, poster and photo exhibitions, slide shows, tattoo printing, drawing competition, mask painting competition, games and activities as part of the festival whose theme is 'Save Vultures - Save Nature'. 

The wildlife wing of the forest department plans to set up more such vulture restaurants in Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Raigad and Gadchiroli districts. While Dr Ajay Poharkar, raptor scientist and secretary of the National Association for Welfare of Animals and Research, is already running a vulture restaurant in Nimgaon, Dhanora tehsil in Gadchiroli, three such restaurants exist in Punjab. 

Vultures in India started dying two decades ago after the drug Diclofenac, used to treat sick farm animals, became popular. Diclofenac was banned in 2005. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources declared the bird endangered. Vultures play an important role in the ecology, especially in agrarian countries like India, by eating carcasses of large animals. One big group can finish one carcass in 20 minutes. The bird weighs 3.5-7.5 kg, measures 75-93 cm in length and has a wingspan of 6.3-8.5 ft. It can soar to a height of 7,000 ft height and swiftly covers distances of 100 km. 

The adult's whitish back, rump and under-wing coverts contrast with the otherwise dark plumage. They build nests on trees like banyan, neem and peepul. The female lays only one egg, usually in January. However, if the egg is destroyed due to natural reasons, the bird destroys the nest too.


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