Gujarat, it seems, has managed to arrest the rate of decline in vulture population with a marginal drop of 2% in its population.
Gujarat, it seems, has managed to arrest the rate of decline in vulture population with a marginal drop of 2% in its population.
The vulture survey, 4th to be held statewide since 2005, was jointly carried out by the Gujarat Forest Department and the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation (GEER), between May 26 and May 27.
The survey held that the state had 1,043 vultures in 2012 compared to 1,065 in 2010.
However, the rate of decline (2%) is much lower when compared to the rate of decline seen in 2010 viz-a-viz the 2007 survey when the bird’s population had fallen by around 25%.
Data updated on the GEER Foundation website also showed that there has been 11.4% drop in population of Gyps vultures in 2012, when compared to the last survey of 2010. White-rumped vulture and long-billed vultures come under the category of the critically-endangered Gyps vultures.
The survey found 577 white-rumped vultures and 367 long-billed vultures. This is a 27.2% reduction in population for the white-rumped vulture when compared to the 2010 figures while for the long-billed vultures the population has gone up by a whopping 36.2%.
The survey report said that though it was the Gyps vulture that was in focus, the other two globally threatened vultures — Egyptian vulture and red-headed vultures were also considered for enumeration.
In all, there were 97 Egyptian vultures and 8 red-head vultures. On what remained the primary cause of the declining population, Bharat Pathak, director GEER Foundation said diclofenac remained the main culprit.
“The other factors could be disturbances to their roosting sites or drop in food availability,” said Pathak.
Ruchi Dave, scientist with Bombay National History Society (BNHS) said that the drop in decline could be attributed to the spread of awareness.
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