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By Moushumi Basu The endangered white-backed vulture and long-billed vulture -- two of the three rarest species of vulture listed as ‘critically endangered’ -- have been found to be thriving in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district thanks to the efforts of local villagers and special rescue teams
There’s a bit of good news for wildlife lovers: two of the three rarest species of vulture listed as ‘critically endangered’ and included in the Red Data List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are actually thriving in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district. (The IUCN is the world’s premier authority on the conservation status of species, and the oldest and largest global environmental network in the world.) According to A K Mishra, DFO Hazaribagh, Wildlife, two of the three rare species include the white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and the long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus), whose population was down 97% in India, as recorded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in its document ‘Action Plan for Vulture Conservation in India’. “Hazaribagh is home to 160-200 birds,” Mishra says, the figure based on monthly survey reports and regular vigils on the movement and habitat of these birds. The white scavenger vulture, or Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), has also been spotted in Hazaribagh. In fact, of the nine species of vulture found in India in the wild, three are found in Hazaribagh. “There has not been any survey report or official document to authenticate the vulture population in the past,” Mishra adds. However, during interactions with villagers in and around 23 identified nesting sites in the district, the department calculated that around 500-1,000 vultures existed at each site around five to six years ago. Vultures normally do not hunt living animals (in rare cases, the birds may kill wounded or sick prey), but depend on carcasses of livestock and wildlife for their primary food. A mature vulture needs almost half-a-kilo of meat every day. The most common reason given for the near-extinction of vultures is the drug Diclofenac. According to a study by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), vultures of the genus Gyps are under threat from this non-steroidal veterinary drug that is given as a painkiller to cattle and is routinely used to treat livestock. Lethal doses of Diclofenac (0.13-0.75%) are often found to be present in cattle carcasses. After feeding on these carcasses, vultures suffer severe kidney and liver damage leading ultimately to their death. The Indian government has banned the manufacture and circulation of Diclofenac since 2008. Mishra says: “We have been carrying out persistent campaigns to stop the use of Diclofenac in the district. Circulation of this medicine is banned and we have initiated a drive to see that it is not sold at any chemist shop here. If it is being sold, we take the matter up with the state drug authorities.” They advocate Meloxicam as an alternative to Diclofenac. Villagers in Bonga, near Ichak, Hazaribagh, say that in 2007 nearly 200 vultures died within a couple of days. According to them, many improved varieties of cattle were imported from in and around Haryana. Some of the animals being transported died on reaching Bonga. After feeding on their carcasses, the vultures also died. It was subsequently found that the man selling the cattle had injected them with Diclofenac before they set out. Although no postmortem or tests were conducted on the dead birds at the time, all the circumstantial evidence pointed to ingestion of Diclofenac as the cause of death. More recently, three dead vultures were sent to the Pinjore vulture breeding centre in Haryana to ascertain the cause of death. Until 1991, the white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), also called the white-rumped or Bengal vulture, was a common resident in the area. It is now a rare visitor. The white-backed vulture is a typical vulture with down feathers on its head and neck, very broad wings, and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff. The adult’s whitish back contrasts with its otherwise dark plumage. Juveniles are largely dark. The bird is medium-sized, its body mass varying from 4.2 to 7.2 kg. It is 94 cm long and has a 218 cm wingspan. Like other vultures, the white-backed vulture is a scavenger feeding mostly on dead carcasses of animals it finds around human habitations. It usually moves about in groups. The birds breed in trees, mostly laying one egg. Species-wise number (probable) of vultures in Hazaribagh | Sl | Name of species | Place | Approximate number | | 1 | Gyps bengalensis (white-backed Bengal vulture) | All places in Hazaribagh | 125-150 | | 2 | Gyps indicus (long-billed vulture) | Hurhuru, Pugmil and Kadma, Ichak | 15-20 | | 3 | Neophron percnopterus (white scavenger vulture) | Hurhuru and Sadar hospital campus | 8-15 | Experts say rapid urbanisation and habitat destruction have contributed to the decline in vulture populations over the years. Explaining the behavioural patterns of the rare white-backed vulture, Mishra says: “The tall eucalyptus trees that are believed to have no environmental value are actually their ideal habitat.” The birds prefer high comfortable perches to nest, from which they can survey their surroundings. Unfortunately, eucalyptus trees are banned in Jharkhand although Hazaribagh is fortunate to have a few surviving trees that are around 60-70 years old. “This may be cited as an important reason for the survival of these rare species of vulture here,” Mishra explains. Despite being endowed with the vultures’ natural habitat, however, very little is being done towards their conservation in Hazaribagh itself. The second vulture conservation breeding centre in eastern India, and the first in the state, is slated to come up at Muta, near Ormanjhi, in the capital Ranchi. This will be the fifth of its kind in the country. The first such centre was set up in Pinjore, Haryana, in 2004, where three species -- the white-backed vulture, the long-billed vulture and the slender-billed vulture -- are being bred with support from the BNHS and a number of international funding organisations like the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK), Zoological Society of London, Peregrine Fund (US). The other two centres are in Ranipur, in Assam, and in the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal (the latter is the only breeding centre inside a protected area). The idea behind setting up the fourth centre in Ranchi is to develop an artificial habitat for the raptors. “It’s part of a drive to save around 300 birds found in and around Hazaribagh,” says A K Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Jharkhand. The Rs 80 lakh centre -- to be developed with assistance from the Central Zoo Authority -- will rope in experts who will catch the birds in the wild, put them in a quarantined aviary to encourage breeding, and then release them back into the wild. Despite getting Rs 40 lakh from the Central Zoo Authority, however, work on the centre still has to begin. There are conflicting views about captive breeding vultures. A K Singh says: “By capturing some vultures, the life of these birds is saved and once they start breeding they will augment the population. The vultures are released back into the wild once we are sure there is no Diclofenac in its system.” Dr Anil Kumar Chhangani, a wildlife expert from the department of zoology, JNV University, Jodhpur, expresses scepticism about captive breeding as he feels Indian organisations do not have the necessary expertise. Chhangani, who was associated with the IUCN Birds and Mammals Breeding Specialist Group, says: “Captive breeding should not be the only way to conserve vultures. Rather, a countrywide rescue programme for vultures should be encouraged.” Many experts also believe that the government should first take steps towards in-situ conservation before thinking about ex-situ conservation (artificial breeding centres). Vultures are not prolific breeders; they usually lay just one egg in a breeding season. Also, as they live in groups, it will be difficult to release them from an artificial breeding centre situated where there are no natural vulture populations. This problem will not arise in the vultures’ natural habitat, hence in-situ conservation must always take precedence over ex-situ conservation. Hazaribagh’s special rescue team If you thought wildlife conservation was only the duty of uniformed forest personnel, a special rescue team in Hazaribagh, with men and women drawn from all walks of life, is set to prove you wrong. Thanks to the efforts of A K Mishra, a public movement has been growing around wildlife conservation in the area, and the rescued animals are adding to the wealth of Birsa Munda Jaivic Udyan, Ranchi’s zoological park. Members of the special rescue team have one thing in common -- a passion for wildlife. And they have a list of rescued birds and animals to their credit, including various species of birds like the barred jungle owlet, crow pheasant, parakeet, peafowl and spotted eagle. Also, a monitor lizard, jungle cat, palm civet, Russel’s viper, cobra, barking deer, spotted deer… The list is endless. “The idea behind setting up this group was to sensitise the common man to wildlife and its protection. The group includes students, vets, journalists, even housewives, besides members of the forest department who participate actively in the activities of the team,” Mishra explains. “Imagine my surprise when we got a call from a housewife one day saying that a parakeet had suddenly fallen injured in her house,” he says. “Together with the team we took the bird to our vet, Saroj, who gave it the necessary treatment. Later, when the bird recovered, we released it from her hands. This gave her a sense of pride as well as joy in having saved the bird.”  “Did you know that animals of different species actually huddle together to keep each other warm in the coldest of winter chill,” asked a member of the team. The team had come across a motherless spotted deer fawn, less than a fortnight old, and a barking deer fawn, both in bad shape. They were rescued and nurtured. “The best part was how the two clung to each other in a desperate attempt to share each other’s body warmth,” said Satya Prakash, another member representing the Neo Human Foundation. Ajay Sao said: “Believe it or not, today we get calls requesting us to take away snakes, not kill them. There is a similar sensitivity amongst the locals who, for instance, informed us when they sighted a crow that had got entangled in the strings of a kite. Instead of allowing it to die they wanted to save it.” “We feel encouraged that our efforts are paying off,” Mishra says, expressing the hope that the team will gradually grow in strength. | (Moushumi Basu is a journalist based in Jharkhand) Infochange News & Features, August 2009 |
