Endangered white vulture sighted in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: During a research on migratory birds conducted by Chhattisgarh forest research and training institute, a rare and endangered species of white vulture was spotted at Sahaspur forest range of Kawardha district.

Institute’s two junior research fellow Avnish Hemrom and Anurag Vishwakarna sighted the rare white vulture (Neuphron Percnopterus) who are studying migratory birds in wetlands of Kawardha district.

Chief conservator of forests and director state forest research institute K C Yadav said that according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this species of vulture was categorized as rare and endangered, hence, this finding is encouraging for conservation of state biodiversity.

Yadav said that decades ago white vultures were found in abundance in parts of Northern India, Pakistan and Nepal, however, its population plunged during 1990s further coming in the category of endangered of IUCN. Its cause of decline was due to feeding over the diseased animals who were under treatment of Diclofenac medicine, a drug used to treat pain, Yadav said.

However, availability of food, wetlands, and good habitat in Chhattisgarh has invited the winged gests to state, which is a good sign for wildlife and this would further help in conservation of white vultures.