Recovery of vulture population in roosting and scavenging areas of Bastar and Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, India

Chhattisgarh is home to seven of the nine vulture species in India. One reason for this high vulture diversity is the presence of large herds of bovines numbering over 11 million individuals (ratio of human to bovine population is approximately 0.38), from which carcasses are disposed off in the open for scavengers. The late 1990s saw large scale decimation of vulture population, and since then there have been few studies with no sighting estimates available. In this study, concurrent sighting records were collected from different locations of southern Chhattisgarh and corroborated to develop conservative sighting estimates for sympatric populations of Gyps bengalensis and Gyps indicus. We present the first report on population recovery, with an estimated 30–35 Gyps bengalensis & 20–25 Gyps indicus in/ around Rudraram of Bijapur and 18 Gyps bengalensis & five Gyps indicus at Jamguda village of Bastar. Krishna Swami Gutta hill is identified as a nesting-roosting habitat for both species, for which six scavenging areas were identified in Bastar and Bijapur districts. The human/bovine population ratio for Bastar is 0.4, similar to the state ratio, while in Bijapur the ratio is 1.07, which justifies considering Bijapur as a conservation refuge. The few vultures that survived the diclofenac catastrophe in wild habitats most likely consumed wildlife carcasses that sustained a residual population. In these areas, the age-old practise of disposing off dead domesticated bovines away from settlements near reserve forests may also have supported the recovery of vulture population.

The Health Assessment of Vultures (Gyps bengalnesis) From Changa Manga, Lahore: A case Study

Vultures are considered as an important indicator of a healthy environment, and they play a vital ecological role as scavengers. The present study was designed to estimate the health of critically endangered Gyps bengalensis in Changa Manga, Lahore, using a technique that does not require drawing blood. Fecal matter of seven pairs were examined and analyzed for protozoan or helminth infections. Gross examination involved checking consistency and color of feces, presence of blood in feces and gross parasites. Obtained samples had different colors and consistency but no blood was found in them. Pair 1 was infested with oocytes, but in pairs 5 and 6 only males were infested, while the female was infested in pair 7. Pair 2, 3, and 4 was completely healthy. Gram staining was also performed to assess the presence or absence of bacteria culture in digestive tracks of Gyps bengalensis. All pairs were infected with either gram positive or negative except Pair 5 which was negative for all gram staining. The present work introduced a technique to assess the health of vultures without drawing blood samples, a process that causes disturbances to their life cycle.

The Health Assessment of Vultures (Gyps bengalnesis) From Changa Manga, Lahore: A case Study

Vultures are considered as an important indicator of a healthy environment, and they play a vital ecological role as scavengers. The present study was designed to estimate the health of critically endangered Gyps bengalensis in Changa Manga, Lahore, using a technique that does not require drawing blood. Fecal matter of seven pairs were examined and analyzed for protozoan or helminth infections. Gross examination involved checking consistency and color of feces, presence of blood in feces and gross parasites. Obtained samples had different colors and consistency but no blood was found in them. Pair 1 was infested with oocytes, but in pairs 5 and 6 only males were infested, while the female was infested in pair 7. Pair 2, 3, and 4 was completely healthy. Gram staining was also performed to assess the presence or absence of bacteria culture in digestive tracks of Gyps bengalensis. All pairs were infected with either gram positive or negative except Pair 5 which was negative for all gram staining. The present work introduced a technique to assess the health of vultures without drawing blood samples, a process that causes disturbances to their life cycle.

Nimesulide Poisoning in White-Rumped Vulture Gyps Bengalensis in Gujarat, India

Catastrophic population decline of White-rumped Vulture due to use of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), diclofenac throughout its distribution range is well documented. White-rumped Vulture was listed as Critically Endangered and only few thousands are remining. During 2019, there were two incidents of White-rumped Vulture death in Gujarat. In February 2019, two vultures were reported dead in Sanand, Gujarat and the death was suspected to be poisoning. Another two vultures were also reported to have died in Wild Ass Sanctuary, Dhrangadhra in October 2019. Tissues and gut contents of all four vultures were received for toxicological investigation and checked whether these vultures died due to NSAIDs. The tissues were analysed for thirteen NSAIDs. Of all the NSAIDs, nimesulide was detected in all the tissues analyzed in high concentration (17 - 1395 ng/g). Subsequently, these tissues were also screened for a set of mostly used toxic pesticides in India, and none of them was in toxic level. Visceral gout was also observed in all the four vultures during post-mortem. Elevated levels of nimesulide in tissues with clear symptoms of gout, indicated that the vultures died due to nimesulide poisoning. Although, other than diclofenac, many NSAIDs are toxic/suspected to be toxic to White-rumped Vultures, only nimesulide is reported with clear symptom of gout in wild dead White-rumped Vultures similar to diclofenac consistently in recent past. Considering the fact that nimesulide also acts similar to diclofenac leading to death in White-rumped Vulture, it seems that nimesulide is replacing diclofenac in case of White-rumped Vulture in Gujarat. Nimesulide is cause of concern in conservation of White-rumped Vultures. Hence, nimesulide should also be banned by the government for veterinary use in addition to diclofenac to conserve White-rumped Vulture in Indian subcontinent. Further, an effective system is recommended to be put in place to collect the tissues of dead Vultures for toxicological investigations, and eventual conservation of the critically endangered species.

Avian richness of the Basanta Protected Forest, far-western lowland Nepal: Implication for conservation

Birds are important components of biodiversity and acts as an indicator of habitat quality, productivity and stability. This study aimed to document species richness and assess the temporal distribution pattern of globally threatened bird species in the Basanta Protected Forest (BPF), one of the largest corridor forests which connects Dudhwa National Park (India) with protected areas of western lowland Nepal. During study period of ten years from 2010 to 2019, a total of 381 bird species from 78 families of 19 orders were recorded. Order Passeriformes had the highest species richness (n=180) followed by order Accipitriformes and Charadriiformes. Among the families, the family Muscicapidae had the highest species richness (n=31), followed by Accipitridae and Anatidae. Majority of bird recorded were forest bird followed by wetland and farmland bird species. Fifteen globally threatened species like red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) were recorded in the BPF. Extensive avian survey in the BPF is important for further exploration of avian community along with its driving factors, which might play a crucial role in developing baseline information and implementing conservation implications.