Action plan to conserve vultures in Pench

NAGPUR: A four-member team of experts has submitted a conservation action plan (CAP) to save vultures in Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.

The team consisting of bird expert Dr Anil Pimlapure, former district honorary wildlife warden Gopal Thosar, and Dr Bahar Baviskar and Dr Priya Baviskar of Society for Wildlife Conservation, Education and Research (Wild-CER), submitted the plan to MS Reddy, field director of Pench.

Out of nine species of vultures found in Indian subcontinent, population of three species viz. Indian Long Billed Vulture, Indian White Backed Vulture and Slender Billed Vulture showed dramatic decline during mid-nineties of the last century.

In Pench Maharashtra, Indian White Backed Vulture is the predominant species nesting mainly along the riverside. "We also found small population of Indian Long Billed Vultures and Red Headed Vultures in the same area," said Thosar.

The experts who are still working on vulture conservation in Pench Tiger Reserve, noticed that low food availability was a major threat to vultures in Pench.

"Other possible threats identified were reduced nesting places in the habitat, infectious diseases, human disturbance and environmental degradation," explained Dr Baviskar.

Being critically endangered, vulture population in Pench requires implementation of long-term and thoughtful conservation action plan for their survival, felt Dr Pimlapure.

The project was awarded to the experts by the wildlife wing of the state forest department. Chief conservator of forests (CCF) MS Reddy has started taking action on the recommendations made by the project team.

The team of the vulture project was guided by Dr Jim Lish, raptor biologist from the US. He had also visited the research project area in May.