Lok Sabha Question No. 130 (STARRED), answered on 2016-07-26
Subject: Population of Vultures
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: KIRIT PREMJIBHAI SOLANKI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO.*130

TO BE ANSWERED ON  26.07.2016

## Population of Vultures

## *130. DR. KIRIT P. SOLANKI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of vultures in the country at present, State-wise;
- (b) whether there has been a sharp decline in the population of vultures in the country for the last several years and if so, the details thereof during the last five years;
- (c) the details of the steps taken by the Government for conservation of vultures; and
- (d) the  number  of  vultures  conserved  under  the  vulture  conservation  breeding  programme particularly  in  Jatayu  Conservation  Breeding  Centres  so  far  along  with  the  number  of vultures released into the wild?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a), (b), (c)  AND  (d)  OF  THE LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO  *130  REGARDING  'POPULATION  OF VULTURES' BY DR. KIRIT P. SOLANKI FOR REPLY ON 26.7.2016.

- (a) and (b) Based  on  the  sampling  surveys  done  in  various  parts  of  the  country  by  the Bombay  Natural  History  Society,  it  is  estimated  that  there  were  over  40 million  vultures  of  three  resident  species  namely  the  White-backed  Vulture, Long-billed  Vulture  and  Slender-billed  Vulture  in  the  country  during  early eighties.  Their  population  crashed  during  mid  nineties  and  by  2007,  the population  of  the  White-backed  Vulture  had  declined  by  99.9%  and  Longbilled Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture by 97%. There were estimated to be 11000 White-backed Vulture, 44000  Long-billed Vulture and 1000 Slenderbilled Vulture in the country in 2007. The population of the vultures appeared to  have  stabilized  by  the  year  2011  as  the  rate  of  decline  of  population  has improved over the period. State-wise population of vultures is not estimated and collated in the Ministry.
- (c) The steps taken by Government for protection of Vultures in the country:
- (i) Protection  status  of  White  backed,  Long  Billed  and  Slender  Billed Vultures  has  been  upgraded  from  Schedule  IV  to  Schedule  I  of  the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- (ii) Government of India has formulated a National Action Plan (2006) on Vulture Conservation.  The Action Plan provides for strategies, actions for containing the decline of vulture population through ex-situ, in-situ vulture conservation.
- (iii) The  Government  of  India  banned  the  veterinary  use  of  the  drug diclofenac which was found to be the cause of vulture mortality  and crash in vulture population.
- (iv) The  Government  of  India  also  restricted  the  packaging  size  of  the human  formulation  of  the  drug  to  3ml  in  July  2015  to  prevent  the misuse of multi-dose vials available in 30 ml presentation in treating cattle.
- (v) The Government of India through the Central Zoo Authority and State Governments supported a Conservation Breeding Programme and has established 8 Vulture or Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centres in the country.  The first three centres were established at Pinjore in Haryana, Rajabhatkhawa  at  Alipurduar,  West  Bengal  and  Rani  at  Kamrup  in Assam by the Bombay Natural History Society  in collaboration with the State Governments. The rest of the five centres were established in various Zoos with the support of the Central Zoo Authority.
- (vi) Department of forests of all states/UTs has been requested to constitute a  Monitoring  committee  for  vulture  conservation  with  a  view  to implement the Action Plan, 2006 and for recovery of existing vulture sites.
- (d) In the three centres established at Pinjore, Rajabhatkhawa and Rani a breeding population of vultures is maintained. The fledglings reared in these centres are released in wild later.

There  are  a  total  of  502  birds  of  the  three  species  housed  at  the  centres  of which  230  have  fledged  at  the  centres.  The  Jatayu  Conservation  Breeding Centre, Pinjore has the maximum number of 241 birds of which 128 are Longbilled Vulture, 80 White-backed Vulture and 33 Slender-billed. A total of 163 vultures have fledged at the Pinjore centre. The Vulture Release Programme was initiated on the 3 rd June 2016 and two Himalayan Griffons were released in the wild.

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