Name: Asian White-Backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
Oct. 22, 2004 — Ecologists are battling to save the Indian vulture, a critically endangered species that once flocked in large numbers across the subcontinent.
Forty-one of the big birds have been gathered in an aviary in the parched fields of northern India as part of a plan to fight extinction.
The Vulture Care Center in Pinjore, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of New Delhi, is the region's first captive breeding program.
"The first egg will be a very special day for us," says project veterinary surgeon Debojeet Das.
"This is the high mating season. No one is allowed to go near the aviary," he said, urging quiet from visitors walking a leaf-strewn track.
"Vultures are very shy and sensitive. We don't want to take any chances. These birds are our last hope," he adds as one huge white-backed bird flies across the aviary, stretching its magnificent wings.
South Asia once provided a haven for vultures, especially in predominantly Hindu India where humans do not eat cattle and the carcasses are left out for the birds.
With the birds of prey quickly vanishing, rotting cattle are triggering diseases and causing the feral dog population to explode, ecologists note.
The crucial link in the ecological chain began to break up in South Asia a decade ago due to poisoning from diclofenac, a cheap painkiller widely used by farmers to treat ailing livestock.
"Over the past 10 years, we have lost 97 percent of at least three species of Gyps (Indian) vultures," Das said. "Our research has pointed to diclofenac."
The anti-steroidal painkiller, sold over the counter all over the region, is passed on to the vultures through cattle carcasses, causing a kidney disease known as visceral gout.
As British and Indian studies pointed increasingly to diclofenac, ecologists launched the Vulture Care Center in 2002 with funds from Britain's Darwin Institute for Survival of Species.
The center began with just a couple of birds, but over the past two years principle scientist Vibhu Prakash and his team have managed to collect 41 vultures with a target of at least 75 breeding pairs.
They are opening a center in West Bengal and plan another five across the country.
Tricky negotiations are also under way with the government to ban diclofenac.
"But it's not going to be an easy task," admits Prakash. "Even if you ban the drug, it would take at least 10 years for it to be removed from the shelves. We are running against time."
For the moment, Prakash and his team have to be patient and await the outcome of the breeding season, which runs from October to January.
It takes four-to-five years for a vulture to reach adulthood, and most of the birds at the center are young; only a handful has reached full maturity.
It is also difficult to distinguish males from females, as there are no obvious physical differences. DNA sampling is underway, but as of now the team is unsure exactly how many males and how many females the center has.
"All we have to do is wait and wait quietly," said Das. "Vultures are also very choosy about their partners but when they choose one, it's for a lifetime. Also if one dies, the other mourns for two years before mating again."
The birds also produce only one egg at a time.
Primary Classification: Falconiformes (Hawks, Eagles, Vultures, etc.)
Location: South Asia.
Habitat: Trees near jungles and cultivated areas.
Diet: Carrion, fresh or putrid.
Size: Up to 20 inches in length and 5 lbs in weight with a 50-inch wingspan.
Description: Dark gray to black plumage with a white splotch on the back; thin, curved neck; strong, hooked beak; short, square tail.
Cool Facts: It may not leave its roost for days at a time, especially during a downpour or after a hearty meal.
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Major Threat(s): Hunting and pollution.
What Can I Do?: Visit www.birelife.net and www.peregrinefund.org for information on how you can help.
