BNHS calls for a new ‘Vulture Census’

Context

Scientists at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) have recently called for a new vulture census as they believe the population of vulture has stabilized over the years. 

Important facts about Vultures

• This large bird of prey with a head and neck more or less bare of feathers, is a relatively social species.
• Vultures are carnivorousand they eat carrion almost exclusively. 
• A group of vultures is called a committee, volt or venue.
  • In flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle.
  • When the birds are feeding together at a carcass, the group is called a wake.

Vulture species in India and their status

• In India, there are 9 recorded species of vultures:
  • Oriental white-backed
  • long-billed
  • Slender-billed
  • Himalayan
  • red-headed
  • Egyptian
  • Bearded
  • Cinereous
  • Eurasian Griffon
• Between the 1990s and 2007, numbers of three presently critically-endangered species (Oriental white-backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures) — crashed massively with 99 % of the species having been wiped out.
• The number of red-headed vultures, also critically-endangered now, declined by 91%
• Egyptian vultures, listed as ‘endangered’, declined by 80%.
• The Himalayan, bearded and cinereous vultures are ‘near threatened’.

Cause of decline

• The cause of the decline was established as diclofenac.
  • It is a veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which is used to treat pain and inflammatory diseases such as gout in carcasses that vultures would feed off.

Why are Vultures important?

• Nature’s clean-up crew: Vultures rid the landscape of deteriorating carcasses and thus help curb the spread of dangerous diseases and bacteria.
• Their clean-up property is due to strong enzymes present in their stomach that kill off dangerous toxins and microorganisms.