3 poisoned Himalayan vultures successfully treated

KAZIRANGA (Assam): Three Himalayan vultures who had consumed poisoned carcasses have been successfully treated and released in the wild here.

"The vultures were released in Kohora in Kaziranga National Park yesterday. The endangered species were affected after consuming carcasses of dogs, poisoned by local people," Phulmoni Gogoi, a veterinarian associated with International Fund for Animal Welfare and Wildlife Trust of India said.

He said, the scavengers were kept in a rescue centre for a fortnight for treatment.

The released vultures were among ten rescued, in two incidents that occurred in Dikhomukh village and Akhoiphutia Koch village in Upper Assam on April 28 and May 4 respectively.

"In both the cases, the vultures were affected after consuming carcasses of dogs, poisoned by local people as it had killed their goat. The vultures had consumed meat from the contaminated carcasses of the goat and dog."

In both the incidents, 21 endangered vultures succumbed to poisoning while ten were rescued by the Assam Forest department and the IFAW-WTI team.

However, one of them died in the rescue centre. Six vultures -- three slender-billed vultures and three white-rumped vultures--have been shifted to the Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre in Rani, Assam where they will be retained for breeding and conservation.