International Vulture Awareness Day observed in the Nilgiris

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is one of the last strongholds for 3 species of vultures - the White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture and the Red-headed Vulture

International Vulture Awareness Day was observed at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris on Saturday.

Organized by the state forest department, the day was observed “to bring the plight of vultures to the notice of people and to reiterate the need for coming together of the various stakeholders and working to conserve them,” said S. Bharathidasan, Secretary of the NGO Arulagam .

Pharmacists from Gudalur and Masinagudi took part in the event where they were taken to the forests in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) where vultures can be sighted.

Mr. Bharathidasan explained the status of vultures and the reasons for the decline in their population. “He explained the need for vigilant conservation efforts as even a single incident of usage of diclofenac or such harmful Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory (NSAI) drugs can set the project back, given the small population of vultures. He also spoke about the need for cooperative and concerted efforts by all to protect the small population of the species,” a statement from Arulagam said.

Students from the Bokkapuram Middle School, Masinagudi Good Shepherd School and GRG School in Vazhaithottam too were taken on the trip. Raghunath Krishna, a conservation artist conducted a conservation art activity, where he helped them draw vultures even while explaining the features, adaptations and some interesting facts of vultures.

The event was organised by Forest Rangers, N. Balaji, (Masinagudi) and John Peter (Singara) under the guidance of Mr. P. Arunkumar, Deputy Director of MTR and D. Venkatesh, Field Director of MTR.

“Vultures play the critical role in sanitising and rejuvenating the environment. They protect the other species by helping dispose of carcasses of dead animals and preventing the spread of diseases. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is one of the last strongholds for 3 species of vultures - the White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture and the Red-headed Vulture. They are on the verge of extinction due to the indiscriminate use of Diclofenac, an NSAID used on cattle,” said Mr. Bharathidasan.