10 vultures released from breeding centre at Buxa
They have been fitted with transmitters
KOLKATA: Ten white-backed vulture, that fall under critically endangered category, were successfully released by the state Forest department from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at Rajabhatkhawa in the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Alipurduar district on Monday.
“They have been fitted with transmitters on their backs so that their movement can be tracked. We are hopeful that the birds will be able to cope up with its natural habitat,” Debal Roy, state Chief Wildlife Warden said.
It is the second instance when White-backed vulture has been released. The last such occasion was on January 2021, when eight vultures – six Himalayan Griffon and two white backed were set free.
According to a senior official of the Forest department the birds were set free from 22 mile watch tower in presence of Vibhu Prakash, a Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) veteran since 1980 and Aprurba Sen, field director of BTR. There are presently four aviaries in the breeding centre with more than 140 vultures of four varieties- White-backed vulture, Long-billed vulture and Slender-billed vulture and
Himalayan Griffon .
It may be mentioned that more than two decades ago it was revealed in a survey that the population of vulture was declining fast, thanks to the use of a veterinary drug used on cattle. The drug that remains in cattle flesh was identified as the cause behind killing of the scavenger birds as they were consuming the cattle carcasses.
In the wake of this depletion, the Union government decided to set up vulture breeding centres across the country with the aim to stabilise this avian population. The project was taken up by the Bombay National History Society (BNHS) with funding from Royal Society for Protection of Birds, UK. Vulture conservation has assumed utmost importance after a recent study in 2016, reported that of the 22 vulture species, nine are critically endangered.
It is the second instance when White-backed vulture has been released. The last such occasion was on January 2021, when eight vultures were set free