Five Himalayan griffons rescued after poisoning, released into the wild

Vultures being released back to the wild in Konwarpur village (Source: IFAW-WTI)

Five Himalayan griffons which were rescued after they almost died due to poisoning in a village in Sivasagar district in upper Assam last month. They were released back to nature on Thursday. They were let back into the wild after they underwent necessary veterinary treatment from the mobile veterinary service team of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation & Conservation (CWRC) located in Kaziranga.

While forest officials along with CWRC staff had rushed to the village on March 7 on getting information about several vultures suffering from suspected poisoning, 20 vultures were already dead, and they could rescue only nine alive. Of them, however, one had died on transit, three others died at the CWRC in Kaziranga.

Giving details, officials of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which runs the country’s only wildlife hospital in collaboration with the Assam forest department, said the vultures had been poisoned after they fed on a carcass in Konwarpur village. Dr Biswajit Boruah of the CWRC’s mobile veterinary service team said at least 200 vultures have died due to poisoning after feeding on cattle carcass across Assam in the current year.

It was only in Januay that 50 vultures had died of poisoing in another village called Bam-Rajabari in Sivasagar district, with the CWRC managing to save only one from death. In March on the other hand 40 vultures were affected by poisoning in Tinsukia district of which 31 had died.

“Vultures are under serious threat. “Until and unless the significance of vultures is understood by the locals people, it will be very hard to keep this endangered species from going extinct,” said Dr Boruah. While 99 per cent of vultures – white-backed and slender-billed ones – have been lost, Assam is still a popular destination for Himalayan griffons during the winter months, thus indicating that Assam continues to be a good good habitat, except for the rising menace of poisoning.

Source:: Indian Express