Hyderabad: With the number of vultures, considered as nature’s natural scavengers, dwindling rapidly over the past two decades, the Ministry of Environment and Forest has decided to implement yet another Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (APVC) 2020-25.
The Ministry has decided to establish four vulture rescue centres as an attachment to the existing vulture conservation breeding centers (VCBC). These will come up near VCBCs of Hyderabad in Telangana, Pinjore in Haryana, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and Rani in Assam.
The population of three resident species — Oriental White-backed, Long-billed, and Slender-billed vultures — which were estimated at 40 lakh in 1980, crashed by over 90 per cent during mid-nineties. By 2007, over 99 per cent of these species wiped out. While the APVC 2006 had produced encouraging results, the Union government decided to take up the APVC 2020-25, which can be extended for five more years.
The APVC document says that many vultures can be saved if there is a rescue centre to take care of the rescued birds. The centres will act as shelters as many of the vultures may not be in a position to fly again after recovery but could breed in conservation breeding facilities and contribute to the gene pool. The unreleased birds can be utilised for safety testing of various drugs and educational purposes.
