NILGIRIS: As part of International Vulture Awareness Day, Arulagam, an NGO, in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Biology at Government Arts College, Ooty, and volunteers from State Street, organised a series of awareness events from September 1 to 6 across the Nilgiris and surrounding areas.
To foster awareness among the younger generations, quiz, elocution and painting competitions were held for college students, with certificates awarded to the participants. Participants also signed a pledge banner supporting vulture conservation. Dr B Ramakrishnan, head of the Department of Wildlife Biology, addressed the gathering on the ecological significance of vultures.
On September 6, a 'Vulture Trophy' volleyball tournament was organised in Anaikatti village to emphasise the importance of creating a 'Vulture Safe Zone'. The event was presided over by Sigur Range Forest Officer Suresh Babu, while Paulraj, village headman of Anaikatti, coordinated the proceedings.
Using sports as a platform to unite the youth, the initiative raised awareness about ensuring that naturally-dead livestock carcasses remain safe food sources for vultures, while highlighting the crucial cooperation needed from the public, particularly cattle rearers.
Addressing a major cause of vulture decline, awareness was raised about eliminating the use of harmful NSAIDs such as Diclofenac in cattle treatment. As a safe alternative, herbal Ethno-Veterinary Medicine (EVM) kits, developed by 'Your Farm' based on the traditional expertise of Dr Punniyamoorthy, were distributed free of cost to cattle rearers.
Under the guidance of the forest department, cattle tissue samples are being collected to support the official declaration of the Nilgiris region as a Vulture Safe Zone. To preserve these samples, S Bharathidasan handed over a deep freezer to the IPAN Trust, which was received by its trustee Nigel Otter.
S Bharathidasan, secretary of Arulagam, emphasised that protecting vultures is not merely about saving a single bird species, but also about safeguarding the entire ecological food chain and human health.
"Vultures play a crucial role as nature's cleanup crew by feeding on animal carcasses, thereby preventing the spread of infectious diseases to humans and wildlife. But their population has plummeted by 99% in a very short period," said Bharathidasan.
To raise public awareness about protecting vultures, which are endangered birds, International Vulture Awareness Day is observed annually on the first Saturday of September every year.