RAIPUR: Ailing subadult vulture — endangered Schedule-1 that accidentally fell close to the forest area near Geedam in Maoist affected Dantewada, was found lying apparently hurt and was picked up by a local youth, who took it to the nearby forest division office.
Soon others were seen scrambling to take selfies leading to cruelty for the scavenging bird facing extinction and not usually sighted in Chhattisgarh.
A local youth Suresh Mandavi found the vulture lying away from the roadside with flock of crows surrounding it, the local police informed. He along with others took it to the Geedam forest division office where the suffering of vulture was aggravated as the people thronged the premises to take selfie with it.
The vulture though was saved from the crows couldn’t escape the bad treatment of human beings. The locals were seen forcibly expanding the big feathers just for the sake of taking selfies with it even as the indisposed bird was seen fighting off their actions.
Ironically the forest department staff at Geedam didn’t stop the people who seemed to be having a fun time with the sick bird. Veterinary doctors later carried out a medical check-up of the vulture, that couldn’t fly.
“This is sad and harsh treatment no less amounting to cruelty to Scheduled-1 species. Taking selfie with wildlife is becoming a trend, which at times prove fatal. The people should have expressed restrained and it’s objectionable to find such treatment meted out to the subadult vulture, which is unwell. It’s sub-adult and is now responding to treatment. It will be shifted to Kanan-Pendari mini zoo at Bilaspur after recovery”, Atul Shukla, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife) told this newspaper.
The animal lovers interpret taking selfies with the vulture as ‘terrible’. “It’s a ruthless act of the people jostling for selfie with the ailing vulture. It’s really heartbreaking to see it. We will lodge a complaint with the National Board for Wildlife”, said Nitin Singhvi, a wildlife enthusiast.