Once facing extinction in Kangra dist, vulture count now over 1,400

There is good news for bird watchers! Vultures, which were once on the verge of extinction, have registered a considerable increase in their count in Kangra district.

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As per the data furnished by the department, their number in the district has now crossed 1,400. Also, about 600 new nests of vultures have been found by a research team of the Wildlife Department in the district. All nine species of vultures that are found in the country register their presence in the state either as summer and winter migrants or as resident fowl.

The wildlife wing of the Forest Department, which is responsible for the conservation of these endangered bird species, felt satisfied with the increasing number of vultures — a rare species in Kangra. These natural scavengers are known as environmental friends and, thus, the department is taking extra care for their conservation.

Talking to The Tribune, Reginald Royston, DFO, Wildlife, Hamirpur, said, “During a survey done in Kangra, 1,400 vultures have been found so far. This district will soon be declared a vulture-safe zone.” Experts feel that with the increase in vulture population in Kangra district, their movement to other vulture deficient districts of the state is now possible.

A comprehensive survey of these avians getting scarce was initiated in 2004, but the funding and on-ground interventions started in 2009, when Devinder Dadwal, a bird enthusiast range officer of the department, significantly contributed to the cause of protecting these white-rumped vultures which were critically endangered in the district in spite of being good in breeding.

The main reason for the sharp dip in the population of vultures was the overuse of anti-inflammatory veterinary drug diclofenac, which proved fatal for vultures that fed on carcasses. The use of this medicine has since been banned.

In Kangra, three feeding stations are still running in the Pong area of Kangra district. The district is soon likely to be declared a vulture-safe zone, with these birds now flocking in appreciable numbers to Lunj-Salol, Tahlian, Kuther and Dadasiba areas around Pong Lake.