VULTURES

Wildlife Institute of India (WII) releases its 1st Pan-India Assessment and Monitoring of Endangered Species (Vultures).
Major Findings
This first nationwide assessment estimated breeding adult populations focusing on four Critically Endangered species i.e., the White-rumped, Indian, Slender-billed, and Red-headed vultures.

• Geographic Scope: The survey documented vulture presence at 216 sites across 17 states.
• Contraction of Range: It revealed absence of nesting in nearly 70% of historical sites previously known across the country.
• Dependence on Protected Areas (PAs): PAs hold 54% of all documented nests.
• Species-specific findings
  o Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus): Found mainly in Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan (largest at Mukundra Hills); reliant on secure cliff sites
  o White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis): Concentrated in Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh
  o Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris): Breeding mostly in Upper Assam
  o Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus): Found in Madhya Pradesh; depends on dense, undisturbed forest, population extremely low and fragmented.

Vultures

• Large carrion-eating birds, mainly found in tropics and subtropics; 9 species in India.
• Significance: Clean environment by consuming carcasses, controlling wildlife diseases.
• Conservation Status: Protected under Schedule I, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Threats: Habitat loss, food scarcity, diclofenac poisoning, and electrocution.
• Conservation Initiatives: Ban on diclofenac, ketoprofen, aceclofenac; Action Plan for Vulture Conservation(2020–25)