Even after two years, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has yet to respond to the Telangana Forest Department’s appeal for approval of the procurement of five pairs of white-backed vultures from Maharashtra.
This comes after the Telangana Forest Department and its counterpart in Maharashtra agreed to procure five pairs to increase vulture conservation efforts in the state. The procurement and transfer of vultures from one state to another require the approval of the Centre.
“We had submitted the agreement letter between Telangana and Maharashtra forest departments to the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2020. But there is no reply yet,” a senior Telangana Forest official said.
This was at a time when the Telangana Forest Department’s conservation efforts for tigers and mouse deer were yielding positive results. The tiger population in the state is now estimated to be around 25, and mouse deer conservation efforts have also been successful.
The white-backed vulture has been listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the International union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list. The department has taken vulture conservation efforts seriously, but the results have been disappointing.
The Central Zoo Authority had approved a vulture conservation breeding program at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park. However, because the birds were 30 to 35 years old when the eggs were laid, the chicks did not survive for more than two to three weeks, the official said, adding that genetic disorders could be another reason.
ALSO READ: Centre still sitting on Telangana’s proposal for Clean Air Authority after two years
Centre’s discrimination towards Telangana to be brought up in Parliament by TRS
With captive breeding failing to produce positive results, the department increased efforts to facilitate natural breeding at Palarapugutta in the Penchikalpet forest range in Kumram Bheem Asifabad.
Vultures typically fly to this cliff from Maharashtra due to the favorable environment for nesting. There hasn’t been much nesting activity in the area in the last two years due to heavy rains.
However, things are looking up as Forest officials have reported seeing vultures in the area on a regular basis again this breeding season, which runs from November to February. Since vultures have been spotted in Maddimadugu and Kollapur, wildlife activists want the Forest Department to expand breeding and conservation efforts to the Amrabad forest division.
To strengthen vulture conservation efforts in the state, the Forest Department has approved the establishment of an Observation Room at Palarapugutta, as well as the appointment of a biologist for the Kagaznagar forest division.
The department has sanctioned Rs.40 lakh for this initiative and is arranging for necessary equipment such as a telescope and others. Furthermore, the local staff is being directed to create a natural atmosphere in order to attract birds to the area.
To that end, the staff is preparing food and livestock that are free of veterinary drugs. The official stated that carcasses were being strewn throughout the area to encourage birds to fly down and breed, and that the Observation Room activities would be ready by March.
(This story has been sourced from a third-party syndicated feed, agencies. Raavi Media accepts no responsibility or liability for the text’s dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and data. Raavi Media management/ythisnews.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content at its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.)
