<p>A few months after Ramadevarabetta in Ramanagar district was designated the country’s first vulture sanctuary, wildlife enthusiasts have come across a large congregation of critically endangered vultures in a remote village bordering Bellary and Raichur districts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The team of wildlife enthusiasts comprising - Santosh Martin, Honourary Wildlife Warden, Bellary; K S Abdul Samad Kottur, a wildlife activist; local naturalist Anand Kundargi and budding naturalists and photographers Sunaina Martin and Sonia Martin – has discovered 16 long-billed vultures Gyps Indicus and four Egyptian vultures during their expedition to discover vultures in the remote parts of Bellary district.<br /><br />The team discovered a huge rocky hill complex of about 20 sq km - an ideal habitat for the long billed vultures, where they roost and supposedly nest. “We scanned the entire area and interacted with locals by showing photographs. On Saturday, we heard a group of 20 vultures were sighted in a field feeding on a sheep carcass. This led to the discovery,” Santosh told Deccan Herald. This is said to be the largest congregation of long-billed vultures in South India.<br /><br />“The discovery of a flourishing population of vultures in North Karnataka comes as a ray of hope for the conservation of the critically endangered vultures which were not reported from Karnataka except Ramanagar and some National Parks for more than two decades. <br /><br />Now it is our responsibility to conserve the bird and its habitat” said Kottur.<br /><br />The species<br /><br />The long -billed vulture (Gyps indicus) is distributed in central and peninsular India. It is a scavenger, feeding mostly on carcasses. <br /><br />The vultures often move in flocks. The population of Indian vulture and the Indian white-rumped vulture declined by about 99 per cent in a span of eight years between 2000 and 2007, in India and Pakistan. <br /><br />The extinction is attributed to extensive use of veterinary drug, diclofenac. The drug, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, is administered to cattle on the verge of death to ease suffering. <br /><br />The drug remains as a residue in the carcass and deposits as uric acid in the kidneys of vultures which feed on the carcasses. Despite a ban imposed by the Union government, the use of the drug continues unabated.</p>
<p>A few months after Ramadevarabetta in Ramanagar district was designated the country’s first vulture sanctuary, wildlife enthusiasts have come across a large congregation of critically endangered vultures in a remote village bordering Bellary and Raichur districts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The team of wildlife enthusiasts comprising - Santosh Martin, Honourary Wildlife Warden, Bellary; K S Abdul Samad Kottur, a wildlife activist; local naturalist Anand Kundargi and budding naturalists and photographers Sunaina Martin and Sonia Martin – has discovered 16 long-billed vultures Gyps Indicus and four Egyptian vultures during their expedition to discover vultures in the remote parts of Bellary district.<br /><br />The team discovered a huge rocky hill complex of about 20 sq km - an ideal habitat for the long billed vultures, where they roost and supposedly nest. “We scanned the entire area and interacted with locals by showing photographs. On Saturday, we heard a group of 20 vultures were sighted in a field feeding on a sheep carcass. This led to the discovery,” Santosh told Deccan Herald. This is said to be the largest congregation of long-billed vultures in South India.<br /><br />“The discovery of a flourishing population of vultures in North Karnataka comes as a ray of hope for the conservation of the critically endangered vultures which were not reported from Karnataka except Ramanagar and some National Parks for more than two decades. <br /><br />Now it is our responsibility to conserve the bird and its habitat” said Kottur.<br /><br />The species<br /><br />The long -billed vulture (Gyps indicus) is distributed in central and peninsular India. It is a scavenger, feeding mostly on carcasses. <br /><br />The vultures often move in flocks. The population of Indian vulture and the Indian white-rumped vulture declined by about 99 per cent in a span of eight years between 2000 and 2007, in India and Pakistan. <br /><br />The extinction is attributed to extensive use of veterinary drug, diclofenac. The drug, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, is administered to cattle on the verge of death to ease suffering. <br /><br />The drug remains as a residue in the carcass and deposits as uric acid in the kidneys of vultures which feed on the carcasses. Despite a ban imposed by the Union government, the use of the drug continues unabated.</p>
