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Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 10:05:46 -0700
From: satheesan sugapurath
To: nathistory-india@Princeton.EDU
Subject: Fwd: [raptor-conservation] Vulture Population Decline in Gujarat
State
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Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 16:32:37 EDT
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Subject: [raptor-conservation] Vulture Population Decline in Gujarat State
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Vulture Population Decline in Gujarat State of the Indian Union and
Strategy for Revival - Based on a recently concluded Workshop on
CURRENT STATUS OF VULTURES IN GUJARAT
19 September 2004
Dr S M Satheesan, Mumbai
Inputs from bird watchers who had participated in the workshop on
â^À^ÜCurrent Status of Vultures in Gujaratâ^À^Ý held on 19 September 2004
in the premises of Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat and
organized by the Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat (BCSG) had thrown
much light on the drastic decline of vulture populations in this State.
The participants had described vulture populations in various districts,
mentioned possible causes of vulture decline and suggested measures to
conserve endangered species of vultures. About 25 papers were presented
during the workshop, including invited presentations by Dr Vibhu Prakash
(Bombay Natural History Society-BNHS- Mumbai), Dr Lalitha Vijayan (Salim
Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History-SACON- Coimbatore), Dr S
Muralidharan (SACON), Dr Chris Bowden (Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds-RSPB), Dr S M Satheesan (Consulting Vulture Expert, Mumbai), Dr
D N Rank (College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, AAU) and Dr
R H Sabapara (Rinder Pest Eradication Scheme, Dept of Animal Husbandry,
Vadodara)
This Vulture Meet was also t o felicitate Mr Lavkumar Khacher, Mr M K
Himmatsinghji, and Mr Lallsingh Rao, all senior citizens, experienced and
famous bird watchers of Gujarat, who have written several articles,
papers and books on the birds of India. Dr M C Varshneya, the Vice
Chancellor, AAU was the chief Guest for the function. Government
Officials from Gujarat Forest Department were also invited guests. All
guests spoke on vulture decline and commented on the dire need to evolve
effective measures to alleviate the crisis at the earliest.
â^À^ÜOur Vultures â^À^Ó A Population of Senior Citizensâ^À^Ý by Mr
Lavkumar Khacher revealed his mastery in Ornithology and conservation of
birds. He stated that vultures were never too many in villages and
Protected Areas and because they soar over a large area (hundreds of sq.
kms) different Vulture-watchers had sighted the same group of birds in
different localities and gave a bigger number for their population count.
In smaller numbers vultures operated efficiently. He pointed out that the
vulture decline was due to aging of birds of a generation dying without
any replenishment. Failure to breed, rather than epidemic, what he
believed, was the root cause of the vulture decline. He remarked that
destruction of nesting trees across country-sides lead to overcrowding at
available nesting sites and severe competition and conflicts for sites
and resultant failures in breeding.
â^À^ÜIdentification, Crisis, and Conservation of Indian Vulturesâ^À^Ý by
Dr Vibhu Prakash (BNHS) gave details on how to identify various species
in India, their distribution, causes of their decline, emphasizing on the
virus disease hypothesis to explain the massive vulture mortality, and
the need for captive breeding to save vultures. He also explained how the
30 and odd vultures mainly W-b Vs had recovered from the sickness they
had. According to him diclofenac is not be a major cause of vulture
decline in India, but a virus disease (Herpes virus) could be, even
though it is not conclusively proved so far by anybody. Many participants
were not convinced that a virus disease could have brought about such a
colossal vulture mortality in India and they expressed that there were
several known causes of vulture decline especially killing and harassment
of vultures by airports authorities, scarcity of food, and destruction of
roost and nest sites. Many participants pointed out that captive breeding
is prohibitively costly, and they could not afford to wait for 10 years
to get the result, which itself could not be guaranteed by the advocates
of captive breeding. More over vultures were sighted all over Gujarat,
but in small numbers which could be easily raised to viable levels
without spending huge finances.
â^À^ÜSome vulture observations from Saurashtra Girnarâ^À^Ý presented by
Mr Bhavesh A. Trivedi, Rajdeep jhala, Rajan Jadhav and Dhaivat Hathi
â^À^ÜVulture Records from Amreli Districtâ^À^Ý by Mr Pravin Gohil
â^À^ÜStatus of Vultures in Bhavnagarâ^À^Ý by Mr Indra Gadhvi, P P Dodia,
and Jaidev Dhadhal
â^À^ÜObservations on abundance of Gyps vultures in three Protected Areas
of Gujaratâ^À^Ý by Mr Pranav Trivedi
â^À^ÜA Survey of White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis in Gujaratâ^À^Ý by
Mr Hiren Soni
â^À^ÜNest Monitoring of Indian White-backed Vultures in Ahmedabadâ^À^Ý by
Mr Kartik Shastri
â^À^ÜVulture Records from Valsadâ^À^Ý by DrPiush Patel
â^À^ÜStatus of Vultures in Kachchhâ^À^Ý by Mr Shantilal Varu and Ashwin
Pomal
â^À^ÜStatus of Vultures in Central Gujarat Region and Conservationâ^À^Ý
by Ms Anika Tere and Dr B M Parasharya .
â^À^ÜVulture Records in and around Vadodaraâ^À^Ý by Mr Pratyush Patankar,
Pranav J. Pandya, and Viraj R Vyas
â^À^ÜDisappearance of the Gyps bengalensis from a small pocket of urban
area of Vadodara Cityâ^À^Ý by Mr Raju Vyas
â^À^ÜSome records of White-backed Vultures around Rajkotâ^À^Ý by Mr
Virendra R Sanghvi, Tapan Kharsani, Jayesh Dhulia
â^À^ÜCurrent Status of Vultures in Rajkot Districtâ^À^Ý by Mr Ashok
Mashru
â^À^ÜKachchh District: The Ray of Hope for Vulture Populationâ^À^Ý by Mr
Kamal Bhatt and Ashwin Pomal revealed sighting of 200 W-b Vs and 75 l-b
Vs near a cattle camp at Poladiya of Mandvi Tehsil in July 2004. 10 W-b
Vs, 9 L-b Vs, and 6 juveniles of EV (no adult) were sighted at a cattle
camp near Lodhika village on Dudhai-Bhachau Highway. A systematic study
on roosting and feeding sites, and medicines used to treat cattle is
required.
â^À^ÜStatus of Vultures around Suratâ^À^Ý by Mr Snehal Patel (Nature
Club, Surat)
Records of Vultures in Banaskantha, Patan, and Mehsanaâ^À^Ý by Dr B M
Parasharya, J J Jani,D J Patel, R H Kher, V A Pathan, and Anika Tere
â^À^ÜRecords of vultures from Kachchhâ^À^Ý by Ms Anika Tere and Dr B M
Parasharya
â^À^ÜEgyptian Vultures â^À^Ó Neophron percnopterus at Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation Disposal Site and Carcass Disposal Groundâ^À^Ý by Dr D N
Rank, H V Goriya, and G M Pandya
â^À^ÜWhite-backed Vultures in Morbiâ^À^Ý by Dr D N Rank and G M Pandya
stated that on 27 May 2004 during their visit to Morbi city of Rajkot
district they had sighted 39 W-b Vs soaring, and 35 W-b Vs roosting on
trees such as Peepal and Neem. Five W-b v nests were also located on
Peepal and Neem trees.
â^À^ÜStatus of Vultures in Gir Forest and its surrounding areasâ^À^Ý by
Mr Amit Jethava (Gir Youth Nature Club) recorded 60-70 W-b Vs and l-b Vs
with nests in eastern Gir near Hanuman Gala Temple, 50-60 vultures on the
border of East-West near Lilapani and nests on Mali Aai hill,30-40
vultures on Mata Hinglaj hill west to Kankai Temple, and colonies of W-b
Vs in Gir near Hanuman Gala andBanej-Jambudi area as well asR-h V and its
nest. In Gir Forest, in the core of the Lion Sanctuary a place called
â^À^ÜCharakiaâ^À^Ý is named due to painting rocks with vulture excreta,
because Vultures are always there on these rocky cliffs. 125-140 W-b Vs
and teir nests were recorded in mahuva City of Bhavnagar Vultures
roosting and nesting destroyed coconut palms and reduced yield of
coconuts which forced the villagers to persecute and harass vultures by
stone-throwing, cracker-firing and gun-shots. As a result vultures
declined to almost one fifth from their original population size there.
Vulture eggs used by villagers to cure Asthma and tuberculosis is another
cause of vulture decline. In Chhapariyali village near Mahuva close to a
Cattle Shelter run by a Jain Mahajan 500 W-b Vs were sighted feeding on
flayed cow carcasses. Nagla village of Mahuva Taluka also has several
W-B Vs where 20 lions also reside and hence the Vultures depend up un
left-over of lion-kills. In Saravda village of Jafrabad Taluka 30-40
vultures were sighted in March 2004. 20-25 W-b Vs were observed feeding
at Ankleshwar in August 2004.
â^À^ÜStatus of Vultures in Protected Areas of Jamnagar, Gujarat
Stateâ^À^Ý by Mr R J Asari, IFS (Conservator of Forests, Marine National
Park, Jamnagar) mentioned that bird census in 2003 and 2004 had not shown
presence of vultures in Marine National Park,Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary and
Gaga Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary. The absence of vultures may be due
to paucity of tall trees and food (carcasses). Suresh Bhatt had sighted
plenty of vultures in Jamnagar City around Lakhota lake till 1990. He
also had treated 24 vultures fallen from trees on a single day at Lakhota
during 1985-86. One Mr Jadeja had seen another vulture falling from the
tower of a building at Cricket Ground, at Jamnagar. No vultures are seen
now in Jamnagar. Residents and bird-lovers in Jamnagar informed that the
main cause of vulture mortality and decline in Jamnagar is regular
driving of birds from airport area. Often they are shot during flight
time, especially practicing hour in the morning by Air Force Wing of
Jamanagar. Repeated driving and shooting at vultures made the birds leave
the area and today no vulture is sighted in the entire district of
Jamnagar.
â^À^ÜStatus of vultures in Dhrangadharaâ^À^Ý by Mr Devjibhai Dhamecha
â^À^ÜStatus of Vultures in Surendranagar Districtâ^À^Ý by Mr Yogendra
Shah
â^À^ÜEnvironmental contaminants in a few species of raptorial birds in
Indiaâ^À^Ý by Dr S Muralidharan, V Dhannjayan, and R Jayakumar (SACON,
Coimbatore) stated that they received 175 carcasses including 61 species
of birds between 1999 and 2003 for ttesting contaminants. In India there
is no historical data on the levels of organochlorines and toxic metals
in any species of birds including vultures to find out the possible
trend. Levels of DDT and dieldrin recorded in Shikra received from
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu State were indicative of poisoning. Five carcasses
of W-b Vs received between 1999 and 2003 from Delhi, Mudumalai,
Ahmedabad, and Patiala showed varying levels of persistent pesticides
but no indication of food-chain buildup or poisoning. High level of lead
found is indicative of poisoning, but cannot account for massive vulture
mortality observed.
â^À^ÜPesticide residues in vulture and other birds of preyâ^À^Ý by Dr S
Muralidharan
â^À^ÜVultures, diclofenac and why we need captive breedingâ^À^Ý by Dr
Chris Bowden (RSPB) explained how diclofenac was responsible for gout
observed in some W-b Vs in Pakisthan and how this could work in India as
well, even though the situation in India has not been studied as yet.
During the discussion many Allopathic and veterinary doctors as well as
Ornithologists expressed that they do not subscribe to or support the
diclofenac hypothesis to explain vulture population decline in India
giving several reasons.
â^À^ÜDiclofenac-is it an only real threat to vulture existence?â^À^Ý by
Dr D N Rank and Dr R H Sabapara stated that if diclofenac is the only
cause of vulture decline, abandoning the drug will help increase vulture
population. An inverse correlation between diclofenac use and vulture
population is not observed anywhere. Other scavengers such as Black Kites
are not affected. Further, diclofenac came to therapeutic use only after
1997; vulture population decline was felt much earlier. Diclofenac is not
used in animals that are critically ill , but only in mild ailments and
generally a single dose. Death of animals treated like this is less
likely and has not happened in 48 hours. A pilot trial of diclofenac fed
to chicken has not shown very high mortality. Are we not forgetting other
important causes of vulture decline such as habitat destruction, scarce
food availability (carcasses are buried in earth), frequent spraying of
insecticide / pesticide on carcasses as well as water-logged areas, and
vulture shooting by Airports Authorities? Considering all factors
together, conservation of the surviving vulture colonies should be
initiated immediately before it is too late. Several participants agreed
with his statements and conclusions.
â^À^ÜVulture population decline in India and strategy for their
revivalâ^À^Ý by Dr S M Satheesan (Vulture Expert, Mumbai) explained the
crisis, the causes, hypotheses to explain the debacle and what India had
experienced. He suggested setting up Vulture Feeding Stations to revive
the populations in strategic areas where they are more needed for
scavenging and where they will be comparatively safer. He reasoned out
why bio-cide build up, a virus disease or diclofenac used as a veterinary
drug could not be the major cause of vulture mortality in India, but
human persecution including denial of food (carcasses) to scavengers to
prevent vulture-hits to aircraft, trapping, shooting and harassment of
vultures for various reasons, as well as direct and indirect poisoning of
vultures, wild and domestic animals, carcasses of which vultures feed
on, was and is the major cause of vulture decline and mortality. He
discussed vulture populations that existed before the crisis (1994) and
those sighted from 1999 to 2004 all over India. He explained how setting
up vulture feeding stations is the best in situ emergency conservation
tool that is cheaper, easy to implement, quicker to show long-lasting
result, and above all , is based on environmental ethics and animal
rights compared to the prohibitively costly and difficult to implement
captive-holding and captive-breeding that are ex situ restoration
measures, not conscience-driven nor yielding desired result as the
former. Most of the participants appreciated the talk and agreed with Dr
Satheesan regarding the major cause of vulture decline. One of the
supporters was a Scientist Prof. (Retired) Bony Pilo, the Raporteur for
the session on â^À^ØThreats and Conservationâ^À^Ù who expressed that he
had also executed a project to reduce bird hazards at Ahmedabad and
Baroda (Vadodara) airports in Gujarat and airport authorities harassed
and killed vultures to save aircraft. Most of the participants showed
keen interest to know more about setting up vulture feeding stations.
â^À^ÜCauses of Decline in the Population of Vultures in Indiaâ^À^Ý by Dr.
Lalitha Vijayan (SACON Coimbatore) opined that the mortality of Gyps
vultures especially W-bs and L-bs was mainly because of human activities
such as habitat alterations, deliberate persecution or pesticide use.
Measures to control unnatural vulture population affecting aviation
safety recommended by the Bombay Natural History Society was not
implemented by the aviation authorities in India. Instead, persecution of
vultures started along with their natural decline. Vulture population was
good in Gir Forest even in 1999, but less than in 1970-72. Lack of food,
nesting places and unidentified disease or toxicity to veterinary
medicine diclofenac might have added to the vulture decline; diclofenac
came into use only around 1994.
Comments by Dr S M Satheesan on some of the papers presented during the
Workshop and circulated among the participants:
Mr Lavkumar Khacher is definitely right to some extent that destruction
of trees favoured for nesting by vultures had / has contributed to
competition for nesting sites. In Agra several trees such as Peepal,
Neem, Shisham, and Tamarind were felled as the favourite nesting areas
were chosen to construct shopping mals, houses and administrative
buildings of offices, galas, and factories. The situation in Gujarat may
not be different in a world of unplanned urbanization.
When Dr Vibhu Prakash stated that at the Vulture Care Centre in Haryana
all the sick vultures recovered after feeding them for some days, does it
not mean that either vultures were not seriously or fatally ill, or just
provision of food could have cured them of their brief sickness (probably
due to poison in the carcass) in nature as well? Herpes virus detected
in some vultures may not kill the birds as Herpes viruses are commonly
observed in man and other animals. The truth is that no infectious agent
including a virus, capable of bringing about such as colossal mortality
of vultures that India had experienced in the past decade, is not so far
found out in any dead or living vulture. The viral disease and diclofenac
hypotheses appear to be necessary to defend the idea of holding vultures
captive to breed, even though by a holding a few individual birds in
captivity in one locality or a few localities, the free-ranging vultures
in different States of the Indian Union cannot be benefited, nor the
captive-held or â^À^Óbred birds can be released or mix with natural wild
populations. Practical conservation methods should replace less
eco-friendly restoration measures to save vultures.
â^À^ÜVulture population decline, diclofenac, and avian goutâ^À^Ý by P R
Arun and P A Azeez (both of SACON), a paper circulated among
participants, a print out from Scientific Correspondence Section of
Current Science, Vol. 87, No. 5, 10 September 2004, reasoned out that it
was yet to be proven that the Indian vultures were exposed to diclofenac
residues in magnitudes enough to effect mass mortality, and it was too
premature to conclude that diclofenac residue was the universal causative
agent behind the decline of vulture population. They added that
diclofenac is absorbed quickly and it half-life period in the mammalian
body is short (a few hours). Under fasting conditions diclofenac is
completely absorbed. â^À^ÜHead droopingâ^À^Ý in Gyps vultures, a normal
behaviour during summer days, is mistaken for a disease by scientists.
They explained how measures such as captive-breeding and release of
vultures may not yield the expected results in the absence of detailed
diagnostic investigation and management strategy specific to Indian
conditions.
The report on Vulture census conducted by the enthusiastic birdwatchers
in various districts of Gujarat revealed that viable populations with
successful nesting of W-b Vs, E Vs, R-h Vs and L-b Vs occur in several
Protected Areas and villages including Gir Forest (over 700 Vs consisting
of W-bs, EV, R-h Vs, and L-bs) and Kachchh (in Abdasa Tehsil - 300 W-b
Vs, 100 L-b Vs and nests of both the species), and smaller populations
below optimum levels in cities except Ahmedabad with 300 W-b Vs and over
60 of their nests. Regarding factors that had brought about vulture
decline and mortality the major ones were:
1. Harassment, gunshooting, and persecution of vultures by airport
authorities at Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, and Baroda airports. Drum tied to a
tree to disturb and ward off vultures roosting and nesting in Sayaji Zoo
& Garden, Baroda.
2. Denial of food to scavenging birds to save aircraft from scavenging
birds (Ahemdabad, Baroda, Jamnagar)
3. Scarcity of carcasses because of cattle-owners selling sick and old
cattle to slaughterhouses before they die a natural death (Maldharis in
Dhrangdhara and Gir Forest)
4. Rampant poisoning of wild and domestic animals by poachers, carcasses
of which are fed on by vultures (Dead vultures falling down from trees in
Lakhota, Jamnagar during 1985-86)
5. Direct and indirect poisoning of vultures by cattle rustlers and
villages living around P As may explain vulture deaths in Surendranagar
6. Trapping of Vultures by poachers (at Gyaspur AMC carcass dumping
ground near Ahmedabad city)
7. Poaching of vulture eggs for food and medicinal cure of TB and Asthma
(in Khambhat of Central Gujarat, in Gir Forest)
8. Destruction of nesting sites, eggs, and young for various reasons (in
Mahuva Tehsil)
9. Felling of roost and nest trees of vultures for construction and
developmental activities
10. Discussion on papers regarding environmental contaminants,
diclofenac, and viral disease as the major cause of vulture decline
revealed that none of these hypotheses has been conclusively proved to
raise it to the status of a theory even. At the most one can say there
were some vulture mortality due these factors. These hypotheses have
originated in the laboratory and have less connection with the ground
reality.
Analysis of data on Bird-aircraft collision incidents revealed that there
were some serious vulture-aircraft hits at Ahmedabad (1986-95), Bhuj
(1983-1993), and Jamnagar (1986-1995) airports which might have prompted
airport officials to reduce vulture populations in the larger areas
surrounding these airports.
A photograph showing several vultures lying dead around a cow carcass
apparently poisoned by cattle-rustlers in Motivirani village, Kachchh
district of Gujarat is a clear evidence to poisoning of vultures (J K
Tiwari, Down To Earth, page 2, 15 may 1999, in Letters- â^À^ÜVanishing
Vulturesâ^À^Ý). 54 cows of Rabari community were killed in two villages,
Indrapura (46 cows killed on Monday) and Bodu (8 cows killed on Tuesday)
of Gandhinagar district of Gujarat by forcing them to feed on potato
plants excessively sprayed with pesticides (Joydeep Ray, Asian Age, 18
Feb. 2000-in Spotlight -â^À^ÜPesticides kill 54 cows in Gujarat
Townâ^À^Ý) is another example of intentional poisoning. Poisoning
incidents are plenty and very common all over India. Preventing poisoning
of animlas and birds as well as introducing poison into food chains is
very essential for the health of ecosystems network including man.
In order to increase the populations of endangered vulture species to
viable and optimum levels where they are critically low, feeding them in
a controlled manner at feeding Centres set up under supervision of
experts is the most practical solution. Research on various factors which
have contributed and are still contributing should continue so that each
and every negative factor can be removed and every negative trend can be
corrected.
Dr S M Satheesan,
B-404, Crystal Palace,
Ram Baug, A S Marg,
Powai, Mumbai-400 076
INDIA
Tel: +91-022-25705690 E-mail: smsatheesan2001@yahoo.com
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