COIMBATORE: The forest department's new guidelines in disposing of the carcasses of wild animals and advocating for the natural decomposition received praise from Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction (SAVE) and city-based NGO Arulagam.
The forest department has recognised that burying or burning wild animal carcasses affects the food supply for vultures and other scavengers, and Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation has issued fresh guidelines as so many carcasses are unnecessarily disposed of, often at great expense or further detriment to the environment.
As per the new guidelines, wild animals that have been infected with anthrax or other communicable diseases should be incinerated, and the carcasses of wild animals found in a waterbody or human-dominated areas would be shifted to open areas near scavenger habitats.
"After leaving the carcass as for the natural process to take over, monitoring will be done using CCTVs or drones," the guideline said.
"The fresh guidelines will boost the food supply of vultures and help revive their population. The forest department has taken exemplary steps in enforcing measures to curb diclofenac use in 2022 and the new nimesulide regulations in April 2025. The government filing over 100 prosecutions for illegal sales has been warmly welcomed by the vulture conservation community," said Chris Bowden.
S Bharathidasan, secretary of Arulagam, which has been involved in vulture conservation for the last 15 years, welcomed the new guidelines. “Leftover carcasses in open areas will serve as a crucial food source for vultures and improve the availability of safe carcasses. Our long-term appeal has been fulfilled. Similar SOPs should be established for domestic cattle that die in forest fringe areas and in goshalas near forest areas. Such SOPs should also be established for marine mammals that die and wash ashore, and for temple elephants," said Bharathidasan.