Vultures stand to count all over again in Uttar Pradesh

The UP forest department (UPFD) is readying for a vulture census, the first ever in the state, to be conducted next month. Wildlife experts and forest officials are upbeat over reports of an increase in vulture population over the past five years but a real picture would emerge only after a scientific census in carried out.

Officials say an extensive plan for the conservation of the critically endangered scavenger would be drawn up after their numbers are counted and nesting regions identified. UPFD estimates put the present vulture population in UP at 1770, a far cry from the thousands just a decade ago.

Chief conservator of forests (eco-development) KK Jha explains that the census would be conducted in May as vultures give birth around this time. He said a second round of the census would be conducted towards the end of the year to check on the survival of the fledglings.

An NGO has also been involved in the process, and forest staff and volunteers from this NGO are being trained for the job.

The census personnel are being made to identify the six species of vultures - white-backed, long-billed, slender biller, griffon, king vulture and white scavenger - all of which are found in UP. Of these, three species - white backed, slender billed and long billed - which used to be commonly found till less than a decade ago, are now classified as the rarest and are protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act.