Asia’s first vulture breeding programme launched

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh June 3

Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, admired the vulture breeding and conservation programme of the state government in Pinjore today.

He was in Pinjore, along with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, to launch Asia’s first ‘Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme’. They released two Himalayan Griffons in the wild from the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore.

Khattar described the breeding and conservation of vultures as a significant step towards saving the species. He said the state government was formulating a scheme to conserve forests, besides various schemes in the Shivalik hills. The 500-meter area around Mangar Bani has been declared ‘no construction zone’ by the state government. The government was also formulating a scheme to develop a herbal park in 500 acres in Morni.

Forests and Wildlife Minster Rao Narbir Singh appreciated the management of the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre. He said that the state government would leave no stone unturned conserve vultures.

The union minister handed over 10 vultures, which have siblings at the centre to AK Srivastava, field director, Van Vihar National Park, Madhya Pradesh, as a part of the genetic management of captive vulture population.