Over the past two years, the population of the critically endangered Indian vulture here has swelled from 10 to 26, largely due to conservation efforts of Forest Department.
The 100-m high Pala Rapu cliff by the Peddavagu stream in Bejjur forest range has turned out to be a safe habitat for the long billed vulture (Gyps indicus). As many as 7 of the 8 chicks born in January-February have survived, at a fantastic rate of 87.5 per cent, against a normal of about 50 per cent.
The vulture colony was first spotted by Bejjur Forest Range Officer M. Ram Mohan in the summer of 2013. “Our effort in conservation included the establishment of a vulture restaurant and creating awareness about the scavenger, which has eliminated any possible use of diclofenac which is present in pain killers used for treatment of domestic animals,” states Kagaznagar Divisional Forest Officer M. Ravi Prasad.
“A team led by a field researcher, M. Ravikanth, and Forest Beat Officer Atram Laxmi and also comprising base camp watchers Portheti Subba Rao and Atram Vishnu Prasad is also recording a behavioural study and keeping watch on the population,” Mr. Ram Mohan reveals. “While our team watches the nests for 12 hours every day, one vulture parent keeps a watch on the chicks round-the-clock,” he adds.
“The Pala Rapu cliff can house at least 40 pairs of birds as deduced from the number of abandoned nests on this 100m X 250m habitat. Only 9 of the 40 nests spotted on the hills have vultures living in them,” points out Mr. Ravikanth, a wildlife biologist. Each of the seven nests have a pair of vultures and their chick, while two roosting spots have three and two vultures respectively, taking the number of birds to 26.
Our effort in conservation included the establishment of a vulture restaurant and creating awareness about the scavenger among locals, which has eliminated any possible use of diclofenac which is present in pain killers used for treatment of domestic animals
M. Ravi Prasad
Divisional Forest Officer, Kagaznagar
