Vultures often fly upto 150 kms daily for food: Study reveals

An ongoing study of the behaviourpattern of the critically-endangered vultures has revealedthat these large birds often fly around 150 kms in search offood on a daily basis, an official said on Thursday.

This came to light through the analysis of the radio-tracking devices fitted on a few vultures in Madhya Pradesh'sPanna Tiger Reserve (PTR), he said.

''We are studying the behaviour pattern of three radiotracking device-fitted vultures right now. In the process, wecame to know that these birds often fly 100 km to 150 km forfood daily,'' PTR director Uttam Kumar Sharma told PTI.

The radio devices were fitted on these birds inNovember last year with the aim of monitoring theiractivities, he said.

''It was found that many times, these three vultureswould fly off to neighbouring state Uttar Pradesh from Pannain search of food and return home in the evening,'' Sharmasaid.

Radio tracking devices would be fitted on some morevultures in the PTR soon, he said.

According to Sharma, the behaviour of these scavengerbirds, their habits and movements had not been studied withthe help of radio trackers in the past.

PTR is home to around 600 vultures of seven species four endemic and three migratory - he said.

A K Jain, deputy director of Bhopal-based Van ViharNational Park, said that India has lost 99.7 per cent of thevulture population and the remaining of these birds also facedthe threat of extinction two decades ago, following whichsteps were initiated for their conservation.

Madhya Pradesh is home to the highest number of 8,397vultures among all the states in India, he said, adding thatthe last MP-wide census of these scavenger birds was conductedin 2019.

The first census of vultures in the state was held in2016 and the third count would begin from February 7, he said.

Environment activist Sachin Jain said vultures play acrucial role in maintaining the ecosystem as they eat thecarcasses of dead animals.

If these natural scavengers become extinct, deadanimals would decay and breed germs and spread diseases, hesaid.

Jain said that according to a famous journal report of2010, India lost 4.9 crore vultures in 20 years.

''There were around five crore vultures in India some20-25 years ago, but this number came down to around one lakhin 2007,'' he said.

He said that most of the vultures died from ingestingcattle carcasses that contained diclofenac, a drug used intreatment of livestock, following which it was banned inIndia.