Vultures in Valmiki Tiger Reserve

• "Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) have started planning for conservation of vultures after 150 of the birds were sighted recently in the protected area. "

Vultures:

• vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion.
• Vultures, also known as nature’s cleanup crew, do the dirty work of cleaning up after death, helping to keep ecosystems healthy as they act as natural carcass recyclers.
• Generally found in the tropics and subtropics regions.
• India is home to 9 species of Vulture.

• Oriental white-backed, Long-billed, Slender-billed, Himalayan, Red-headed, Egyptian, Bearded, Cinereous and the Indian Griffon.

• Oriental white-backed, Long-billed, Slender-billed, and Red-headed vultures are listed as “critically endangered” in IUCN red list
• Egyptian vulture in “ endangered “ list.
• Himalayan, Bearded, and Cinereous are listed as “ near threatened”.
• Indian Griffon --- “least concern”

• Bearded, Long-billed, Slender-billed, Oriental white-backed are protected in Schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

• And others are in Schedule-4 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Conservation programme:

• Last year in 2020, a National Plan was launched by Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, called as Vulture Action Plan 2020-25.
• It is to ensure minimum use of Diclofenac and prevent the poisoning of the principal food of vultures, the cattle carcasses.
• Conservation breeding of red-Headed vultures and Egyptian vultures and the establishment at least one vulture-safe zone in each state for the conservation of the remnant populations in that state.
• The Vulture Safe Zone programme is being implemented at eight different places in the country where there were extant populations of vultures, including two in Uttar Pradesh.

• To upscaling conservation four rescue centres will be opened like Pinjore in the north, Bhopal in central India, Guwahati in Northeast and Hyderabad in South India.

Valmiki National Park:

• It is located at the India-Nepal border in the West Champaran district of Bihar, India on the bank of river Gandak
• It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1978.
• Valmiki National Park was established in the year 1990.