CHENNAI: Vulture population in Tamil Nadu and the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) continues to rise and it is an incredible comeback from the verge of extinction. On Friday, the state forest department released the results of the synchronised vulture survey, and the data show the population grew from 320 to 390.
Conducted on February 27-28 this year across 106 vantage points in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka spanning 4,670 sq km in the NBR, the survey reveals Tamil Nadu retains its leadership position when it comes to vulture conservation in the region. Tamil Nadu recorded 157 vultures, up from 100 in 2022-23 and 152 in 2023-24. Kerala recorded 125 vultures and Karnataka 106.
The White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) dominates the recovery, with 110 counted in Tamil Nadu and 288 sightings in the NBR. Long-billed Vultures (Gyps indicus) followed with 31 in Tamil Nadu and 50 in the NBR, while Red-headed Vultures (Sarcogyps calvus) hit 11 and 47, respectively. Five juvenile Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus), listed as endangered, were recorded in Nellai wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
The most heartening news for the conservationists is the first-ever Red-headed Vulture nest documented in south India in Masinagudi range of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), a rare win for the species.
Overall, 75 active nests were recorded in NBR, of which MTR in Tamil Nadu reported 54 active White-rumped nests, supporting 108 adults and 30 chicks.
This resurgence is tied directly to Tamil Nadu’s crackdown on Diclofenac, a veterinary drug linked to a 97% vulture population crash in India since the 1990s. Enforcement has yielded 104 convictions, while a newer ban on Nimusulide, another harmful NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), has sparked 10 cases and five pharmacy licence suspensions.
In 2022, Chief Minister MK Stalin had set up a dedicated State-Level Committee for Vulture Conservation, which paired policy with tools like camera traps and satellite tracking to monitor populations and nesting sites.
Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department, told TNIE that the committee had recently taken an important decision to leave elephant carcasses for scavenging, which is a safe food source for vultures compared to carcasses of domestic cattle.
S Bharathidasan, member of the committee and co-founder of NGO Arulagam, said the Tamil Nadu forest department should consider GPS tagging some of the vultures to have better insight.
He said, “Sathyamangalam (Erode) is turning out to be an equally potential area for vulture population. If its population is confined to MTR alone, we are always running a high risk of species extinction in the event of any disease outbreak or other disasters.”