CHENNAI: A White-rumped vulture, categorised as critically endangered, was found battling for life on a road in Chennai and eventually succumbed on Monday.
A sub-adult, the raptor bird was rescued by the public and handed over to the forest department headquarters range office in Velachery on Sunday afternoon. Considering its poor health, the vulture was immediately taken to Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD) for treatment. However, the bird couldn’t be saved, Chennai wildlife warden Manish Meena told TNIE.
But, the question is how did a White-rumped vulture end up on Chennai road as there is no known resident population of vultures in and around the city. Meena said it is very rare. “We have sent the raptor bird to Vandalur Zoo for postmortem. Only after receiving the report, can we draw inferences,” he said.
It was initially suspected that the bird might have escaped from Vandalur zoo, which recently received a few vultures as part of an animal exchange programme. However, the zoo authorities denied it, saying their vulture number is intact.
Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy said it would be one of those stray movements. There are instances where single vultures were spotted in Kanniyakumari.
V Santharam, ornithologist and director of Institute of Bird Studies in Rishi Valley, said vultures are highly capable of flying for long distances. Their range is between 80-100 km which they can cover in a couple of hours.
“In the 1990s, there was a large population of about 20-30 nesting vultures on Sriharikota island. Due to tall trees and less disturbance, they made the island their safe haven. They were also seen in the Nellapattu area,” Santharam said.
As per the recent synchronised vulture population estimation, the state continues to remain the preferable nesting and foraging ground for these critically endangered birds. The data say Mudumalai Tiger Reserve recorded the highest vulture population of 78 in the entire landscape, followed by Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve - 70, Bandipur tiger Reserve in Karnataka - 65, and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary - 51.