Poisoned Cattle Carcass Kills 23 Endangered Vultures in Assam

Tinsukia: At least 23 vultures belonging to critically endangered species died in eastern Assam's Tinsukia.

The incident was reported at Dhola in Assam's Tinsukia district when the critically endangered vultures died from poisoning after consuming the carcasses of two cattle.

Meanwhile, forest officials have rescued 12 vultures in a critical condition and currently under treatment.

The dead vultures were sent for post mortem later.

Earlier in march 2019, 37 vultures belonging to three endangered species died in Assam's Sivasagar district after feeding on pesticide-laced cattle carcass.

The dead vultures belonged to the Himalayan griffon species (Gyps himalayensis).

A study by the Bombay Natural History Society and other organisations in the 1990s found that the population of the Gyps group — Himalayan griffon, white-backed and slender-billed are among its members — in India and Nepal declined from about 40 million by 99.9% in just two decades.

The population of three Gyps vultures decreased by about 95% within as few as three years in the 1990s, across parts of their home range in south Asia (source: Birdlife International).

Once commonly-used livestock analgesic/anti-inflammatory drug 'Diclofenac' was identified as one of the main causes. Use of 'Diclofenac' is presently banned in India. However, because of the higher costs of the safer alternative 'Meloxicam' and lack of awareness among users, Diclofena continues to be used.

The Himalayan Griffon vultures (Gyps himalayensis) will be ringed (used for identification) and released soon after they are deemed healthy. The slender-billed vultures (Gyps tenuirostris) and white-rumped vultures (Gyps bengalensis), both categorised as critically endangered by IUCN and listed as Schedule I species in the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, will be transferred to the Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre.

It is to be mentioned that a Vulture Conservation Centre has been set up at Rani on the outskirts of Guwahati.

The Centre aims at establishing a population of 25 pairs of White-backed and the Slender-billed vultures and to produce a population of at least 200 birds in the next 15 years and eventually reintroduce them into the wild. 

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