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The country’s sixth and the state’s first ‘Vulture Conservation cum Breeding Centre’ will be built in Nagi Reservoir in Jamui, Bihar. The Forest Department has approved this. The presence of Himalayan vultures was seen here. In this center, chemical free meat will be provided with local cooperation to save the vultures from extinction.
Jamui: A center is going to be built in Jamui district of Bihar which will be the sixth such center in the country and the first such center in Bihar. Actually, Vulture Conservation cum Breeding Center will be established in Nagi Reservoir area located in Jhajha block of Jamui district. Final approval regarding this has been received from the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The local administration has intensified preparations for this project and it is being considered as the sixth major vulture conservation center in the country and the first major vulture conservation center in Bihar.
Himalayan vulture was seen here this year
District Forest Officer said that this year, between the cold and heat, the arrival of Himalayan Griffon i.e. Himalayan Vulture has been recorded in Nagi area, which has started coming a little south from its normal habitat of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. This indicates that the area is in line with their natural behavior and needs. For this reason, the department has taken the final decision to build a vulture conservation center here. In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature had categorized all the vulture species found in India as rare and extinct, which further increases the importance of such centres. There are nine major species of vultures found in India which include Indian Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture and Red-headed Vulture among others.
Vultures are decreasing due to chemicals
District Forest Officer said that the main reason for the rapidly decreasing population of vultures is considered to be the chemicals in painkillers present in the meat of dead cattle. Bird expert Arvind Kumar Mishra has said that vultures are nature’s scavengers and keep the environment clean by eating dead animals. But after the year 1999, there was a huge decline in the population of vultures because the residues of some medicines given to cattle were present in their meat, which when consumed caused fatal conditions like kidney failure in vultures. Due to this, the population of white-backed vulture, long-billed vulture and Indian vulture declined the fastest.
This center will run with the help of local people
The proposed vulture conservation cum breeding center in Nagi will be operated with the cooperation of the local community. Chemical free meat will be provided to the vultures coming here, for which an awareness campaign has been conducted in the nearby villages. Before making the meat of dead cattle available, it will be examined by veterinarians so that it is completely safe. This will not only provide safe food to the vultures but will also protect their natural habitat. At the local level, the Forest Department has started preparations for survey, land selection, fencing and food supply arrangements. Experts believe that this center will not only help in managing the declining population of vultures but will also give Jamui a new identity at the national level in the direction of environmental protection.
