VULTURES

1. The white-rumped vulture- Gyps bengalensis
2. The long-billed vultures- Gyps indicus
3. The Asian king vulture-Sarcogyps calvus
4.  The Egyptian vulture- Neophron percnopterus

• The Nilgiris, Erode, and Coimbatore districts form one of the largest contagious expanses where vultures are spotted.
• The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, parts of the Nilgiris forest division, and the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve are crucial strongholds for the vultures.
• Occasional migrants like the Himalayan griffon vultures and the Cinereous vulture are spotted each year.
• In the Nilgiris, researchers & forest department officials estimate that there are 100-120 white-rumped vultures, 10-15 long-billed vultures & less than 10 Asian king vultures.
• Though Egyptian vultures are spotted in the Sigur plateau, researchers are still unsuccessful in tracing the breeding sites of the critically endangered Asian king vultures.

• The population of the vultures in the Nilgiris, Erode & Coimbatore districts has remained largely stable.
• Experts state that the numbers are still extremely low & even a single poisoning event could lead to several of the species going locally extinct especially the long-billed & Asian King vultures.
• Over the last few years, breeding seasons have also seen fewer hatchings than is the norm, because of lesser availability of prey and erratic weather.
• Use of some Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs(NSAIDs), ketoprofen has led to the crash in vulture populations across India.

• Temple tourism in the Sigur plateau is centred primarily around vulture habitats, like Siriyur, Anaikatty, and Bokkapuram.
• There have been recorded instances of vultures abandoning nesting sites located too close to temples inside these reserves, with activists calling for strict controls on the number of people allowed to attend these festivals.
• The spread of invasive weeds such as Lantana Camara in vulture landscapes, which hinder the birds from scavenging as their large wing spans require plenty of open areas to safely land.
• Due to illegal tapping of water along the streams running through these areas, possible climate change, forest fires, and Terminalia arjuna trees, which many vultures use as nesting sites are disappearing.
• Through a multipronged approach of increasing the amount of food available to the birds & managing invasive species can rebound vulture numbers.

• The state government has banned the use of Diclofenac, a drug to treat cattle.
• There are strict restrictions for the sale of other NSAIDs in the Nilgiris, Erode, and Coimbatore districts.
• The vultures in the Sigur plateau utilise landscapes in Karnataka & Kerala, experts called for a synchronous vulture census to accurately identify vulture populations & nesting sites.