Wildlife group BNHS to reintroduce two vulture species in Assam in January
BNHS is preparing to release captive-bred Slender-billed and White-rumped vultures in Assam, working with communities to ensure safe habitats. The programme stresses eliminating harmful NSAIDs, preventing poisoning incidents, and restoring vultures’ ecological role in controlling carcass-related pollution and disease
Mumbai: A leading Mumbai-based wildlife research organisation is working on a plan to release vultures in Assam as part of its conservation breeding programme across India targeted at the protected bird species.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) said so far, it has raised over 800 vultures in its conservation breeding centres across India.
The 142-year-old research organisation is giving final shape to its plan of releasing vultures in Assam, where they will be serving common cattle owners, farmers and people of the state, a BNHS release said on Thursday.
BNHS scientists intend to release Slender-billed and White-rumped vultures in the north-eastern state next month, said the release.
A team from the conservation group, supported by the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Assam Forest Department, is working consistently to prepare ground for the release of the birds. As part of the programme, multiple BNHS teams are conducting village-level meetings and educating villagers about vultures and their importance, it said.
Senior scientist and BNHS deputy director Sachin Ranade said, “Two species of vultures – Slender-billed and White-rumped, have been successfully bred in captivity. We are working with local communities to save the vultures in their natural habitats.
“Currently, we are working on the reintroduction of these two species. The release of aviaries is set now, and the vultures will be released in a scientific way termed as ‘Soft Release Method’.” Problems such as using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen and nimesulide, and pesticides were highlighted during BNHS’s educational campaign on vulture conservation, he maintained.
Notably, vultures can die from eating the carcasses of cattle that were given certain anti-inflammatory drugs. These birds are scavengers and consume carcasses, thus preventing the spread of diseases and contamination of water sources.
Ranade explained how veterinarians have to play an important role in practising the right way of treating domestic cattle.
“They and their assistants (paravets), who actually handle medicines for livestock, play a valuable role. We are requesting them to advocate and use only vulture-safe medicines like meloxicam, tolfenamic acid in cattle treatment, and ensure the cattle and their carcasses do not have any harmful residues for vultures,” insisted the senior scientist.
In Assam, there have been frequent cases of poison bait and instances have come to light where local residents sprayed pesticides on cattle carcasses just to kill stray dogs, Ranade opined.
“As vultures can’t distinguish between safe and unsafe carcasses, they fall victim to such incidents of poisoning. It has taken a toll on many wild vultures and caused a delay in the release of the captive-bred vultures into the wild,” he explained.
Ranade said the BNHS plan in Assam will be an important project in conserving vultures.
“The vultures to be released will be serving common cattle owners, farmers and the people of Assam. By feeding on cattle carcasses, they will control the pollution caused by rotten carcasses and the spread of various diseases. Rebuilding the natural food chain in the ecosystem is important for the survival of vultures to be released as well as wild vultures,” the wildlife scientist elaborated.
Nowadays, Assam is the only stronghold of the Slender-billed vultures in India and saving this species will be an important step in conserving and raising their global population, Ranade asserted.
BNHS director Kishor Rithe maintained his organisation’s campaign was very important as it will decide the success of vulture release programme.
