Vulture Action Plan 2020-25

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the Action plan for Vulture conservation in India 2020-2025.

Factors Threatening Vulture Population

• The poisoning of vulture food by NSAIDs. For eg: Ketoprofen and aceclofenac. Heavy overdose due to untrained individuals is one of the major problems.
• Vultures are also prone to unintentional poisoning when the farmer stuffs the carcass of his cattle, killed either by feral dogs or a wild predator, with organo-chlorine or organo-phosphate, which are poisonous for vultures.
• Potent agricultural pesticides like Carbamates (Furadon), phorate, phosphamidon, malathion etc are very easily available.
• Vultures are prone to electrocution on power poles.

Objectives

• Form a database on emerging threats to vulture conservation.
• Prevention of poisoning of cattle carcasses, the principal food of vultures
• Establish vulture rescue centres in Pinjore, Bhopal, Guwahati, and Hyderabad. Atleast one vulture safe zone will be established in each state.
• Carry out Nationwide vulture survey once in 4 years.
• Regulate the Sale of Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), that threatens the vulture population.
• Conservation and breeding program for Red Headed Vulture and Egyptian Vultures.
• Enhancing the vulture safe zone network by creating at least one vulture safe zone in each state and continuing to work on the existing efforts of vulture safe zone

Vulture Species in India