A ‘vulture safe zone’ that include parts of south Karnataka has been mooted to revive the population of the avian scavenger that is tottering on the brink of extinction.
The population of vultures, which were ubiquitous till their decline began in the 1990s, is yet to be assessed, but there is a general consensus that almost 96% has already been wiped out. This decline is attributed to the widespread prescription of diclofenac, a drug used extensively in the treatment of domestic cattle but extremely lethal to vultures when they feed on the cattle carcass.
Hence, a group of wildlife activists has mooted the idea of creating safe zone in and around the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve as the first step towards reclaiming and stabilising the vulture population. A vulture safe zone has been described as an area where the availability of the drug and its prescription by veterinarians will be banned.
Members of the Vulture Conservation Working Group of South India came together to formulate and implement strong actions on the ground to protect vulture populations. The meeting was held in Coimbatore some time ago and it was decided to conduct a synchronised population estimation of vultures to help understand their distribution and population estimate.
D. Rajkumar of Wildlife Conservation Foundation in Mysuru told The Hindu that the Nilgiri reserve has been mooted as a safe zone as it is one of the traditional breeding sites of vultures and human disturbance is relatively low, but for competition from other birds. These are some of the traditional breeding and foraging habitats of vultures and a ban on the use of dicoflenac around these places could ensure the safety of the birds in the long run, he said.
At present, dicoflenac is widely available in Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar, H.D. Kote, and Hunsur areas abutting Bandipur, which is part of the Nilgiri reserve. “Cattle are treated with dicoflenac and when they die, the vultures feed on their carcass and tend to develop fatal diseases,” said Mr. Rajkumar.
Though it was common to see these birds around Bandipur till 20 years ago, their numbers have declined in the past 20 years. “There was a breeding site at Beladakuppe in Bandipur till 1996, but over the years the site disappeared along with the birds owing to human disturbance, apart from the effects of dicoflenac,” said Mr. Rajkumar.
There were other members who suggested that vulture safe zones should be identified and declared in each State in south India. In Karnataka, the area comprising Bandipur and surrounding regions that are part of Nilgiri reserve was reckoned to be ideal.
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