The zones will cover over 30,000 sq km; 4 similar zones to be created elsewhere in country.
In an attempt to help arrest the decline in the population of vultures in the state and the country, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), in collaboration with Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat (BCSG), plans to create Vulture Safe Zones (VSZ) in the state.
Two VSZs, spread over 30,000 square kilometres, will be created in Gujarat. Of this, one will be in Ahmedabad district and cover areas like Mehsana, Kadi, Virpur and Daslana. The other will be created in Mahuva and, besides Mahuva, include Nageshri, Aasrana and surrounding areas.
Vultures bred in captivity will be released in these VSZs. However, before these zones are formally declared as such, the BNHS will create a provisional VSZ in these areas where those associated with the programme will assess the presence of various factors necessary for survival of vultures.
“This will include looking for the presence of diclofenac in the area, the ease with which it is available in the proposed zone, etc.
A random sampling of about 800 animal carcasses found over a large area will also be done to see if they are diclofenac-free,” said Janki Teli, vulture advocacy officer, BNHS.
Diclofenac is a powerful painkiller used by veterinary doctors to treat ailing cattle and other animals. The drug proves deadly for vultures if they feed on carcasses of animals that were treated by diclofenac.
Teli said that apart from the two VSZs in Gujarat, four more such zones will be created. Of these, two will be in Uttar Pradesh and one each in Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. The programme, spread over two years, was launched in Gujarat around May 2012. She further said that the provisional VSZs had been identified as areas which had a breeding vulture population within them.
Ruchi Dave, committee member of the vulture cell, BCSG, is also associated with the programme. Dave said that the areas had been chosen on the basis of stability in vulture population seen here over the last four-five years. “Before the zones are declared safe for vultures, we will ensure that there is 0% diclofenac presence, adequate availability of food, etc. Work on this has been going on for some time and, if all goes well, in the next two years we may be able to release here vultures that were bred in captivity,” said Dave. “Nesting data, details about whether medical shops sell diclofenac for veterinary use, and intense awareness programmes to ensure zero presence of the banned drug will be carried out to ensure that the provisional zones are 100% safe for vultures,” said Teli.
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