Centre & state reply sought on PIL on vulture conservation

Advocate SP Chokkalingam K Surya Kumar stated the country had a population of 4 crore vultures in the 80s but their numbers have dropped by nearly 99% now.

FILE - There are only 150-odd vultures left in the wild in TN, of which the White-Rumped Vulture accounts for 122 numbers. (Photo | Wikimedia Commons)

CHENNAI:  Madras High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the centre and state governments directing them to file a reply to a public interest litigation petition seeking orders to establish vulture conservation centres in the state. The court adjourned the matter to February 6, 2024.

Advocate SP Chokkalingam, appearing for the petitioner K Surya Kumar from Vandalur, Chennai, stated the country had a population of 4 crore vultures in the 80s but their numbers have dropped by nearly 99% now, he added.

The advocate mentioned that Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Erode and Dharmapuri still have intact vulture habitats, and informed the court that the drastic fall in vulture population is attributed to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are toxic to vultures, by farmers before they were banned. He sought the court to order a ban on the sale of NSAIDs in all four districts and establish vulture conservation centres.