Consultative meeting with Tribal people in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve - Report - Click here

Cattle owners are playing major role in conserving native breeds, prohibiting carcass poisoning, removing harmful drugs from the vulture food chain and leaving the safe carcasses to vultures. Arulagam is working to eliminate the harmful drugs totally from the vulture food chain and taking various steps to improve the status of vultures in Tamil Nadu. The organisation is also educating local communities about the importance of vultures and their role in ecosystem functioning.

Arulagam continuously engages local communities in various ways to identify and protect vulture nesting areas and its habitats with the guidance and support of the Tamil Nadu State Forest Department. As part of it, vulture conservation awareness programs through puppet show were organised by Arulagam at Kakkayanur and Burgur in Erode district on 27 and 28th April 2019 in association with Tamil Nadu Tribal Association and Sathyamangalam Environment and Wildlife Association (SEWA).

"டோடோ” என்ற சொல்லுக்கு ஆங்கில அகராதி அறிவற்றவன் என்று பொருள் தருகிறது. ’டோடோ’ என்பது வெறும் சொல் மட்டும் அல்ல. அது ஒரு பறவையையும் குறிக்கும் ஒரு பெயர். ‘டோடோ போல் சாகாதே” (as dead as dodo) என்று ஆங்கிலத்தில் ஒரு பழமொழி உண்டு. இதற்குப்பின்னே ஒரு வருத்தமான நிகழ்வு இருக்கிறது. அந்த நிகழ்வை உங்களுக்கும் சொல்ல வேண்டும். நம் சந்ததிக்கும் தெரியப்படுத்த வேண்டும். அந்த நிகழ்வு என்ன? அதைத் தெரிந்து கொள்வோமா!. அதற்கு நாம் ஐநூறு ஆண்டுகள் பின்நோக்கிச் செல்லவேண்டும்…..

(அப்போது உண்மையில் என்ன நடந்தது என்பது நமக்கு முழுமையாகத் தெரியாது. என்னதான் நடந்திருக்கும் என்று யோசித்துப் பார்த்தபோது எழுந்த ஒரு கற்பனைக்காட்சி…..) 

In order to sensitise tourists to the threats facing vulture populations across the country, an awareness board was erected by conservation group, Arulagam, with the support of the Tirupur Information Technology Association (TITA) at Kodanad view point on Sunday. “There are three species of vultures which are regularly sighted at Moyar, Ebbanad and Kodanad area - white backed vulture, red-headed vulture and long-billed vulture. All of them are critically endangered. This board was erected to commemorate the 4th year of the bike rally for the cause of vulture conservation,” said S. Bharathidasan, secretary of Arulagam.

The awareness board was unveiled by honorary wildlife warden, C. Badrasamy.

‘The reasons for the vultures abandoning their traditional nesting grounds still needs to be studied’

While researchers and conservationists continue to study the reasons for two species of vultures found in the Nilgiris abandoning one of their prime nesting grounds in the Sigur plateau since 2016, researchers have seen an increase in nesting activity along the slopes of Ebbanad and Kodanad, indicating that the birds could have established new nesting colonies since being forced to leave.

B. Ramakrishnan, an assistant professor from the department of wildlife biology, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam, who has been studying the nesting habits of the four species found here – the white rumped vulture, red headed or Asian king vulture, long-billed vulture and the Egyptian vulture

since 2011, said that he had first noticed a decline in nesting by the white rumped and long-billed vultures in 2014, and stated that by 2016, the entire area had been abandoned.

“As Siriyur was among five nesting grounds in the Sigur plateau which we had discovered and were studying, it was of course a matter of concern,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan, stating that the reasons for the vultures abandoning their traditional nesting grounds still needs to be studied. “It's easy to try and draw a conclusion that they moved away due to human disturbance, but there could be a whole lot of factors which need to be thoroughly understood, so that we can reach a conclusion as to why the colony was abandoned,” he added.

S. Bharathidasan, Secretary of Arulagam, a conservation group working towards the protection of vultures, said that from his own observation, it seemed likely that the birds had abandoned the nesting site in Siriyur, and had instead begun colonising the slopes of Ebbanad and Kodanad, possibly because there was lesser human interference in these regions.

“It is difficult to say with certainty whether that is the case, but it does seem likely,” said Mr. Bharathidasan, who said that both white-rumped as well as long-billed vultures are known to nest in Ebbanad, while long-billed vultures are known to nest primarily in Kodanad.

Though the Egyptian vulture is known to nest predominantly in parts of Karnataka, the search for the nesting sites of the incredibly rare red-headed vulture or the Asian king vulture, of which less than 20 individuals are known to be found in the Nilgiris, continues.

Mr. Ramakrishnan said that though they have heard rumours of nesting sites in the Sigur plateau, he himself has not personally seen any thus far. Though critically endangered, the population of red-headed vultures has stabilised over the last few years in the Sigur plateau.

Abstract:

The drug controller general, government of India had banned the veterinary use of diclofenac in the way back on July 4th, 2008. It sparked fresh hopes for the survival of the critically-endangered vulture species, the nature’s clean-up crew! But the drug was still available in large multi-dose vials of 30 ml labeled ‘not for veterinary use’, facilitating the illegal veterinary use of the drug, which caused a further decline in vulture populations. To avoid this, the Ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India, passed a blanket ban on multi-dose vials (MDV) of diclofenac, through a notification issued on July 17, 2015. But, this ban was challenged by a pharmaceutical company and the stay was issued on 29th December 2017 by the Madras High Court. It took 2 years for the hearings to be completed and a judgment for upholding the ban was passed by the High Court in 23rd October 2017 which reinstated the sense of hope to vulture conservation.

தமிழ்நாடு கால்நடை மருத்துவ பல்கலைகழகம் கால்நடை பல்கலைகழக பயிற்சி மற்றும் ஆராய்ச்சி மையம் கோயம்புத்தூர் மற்றும் தமிழ்நாடு கால்நடை வளர்ச்சி முகமை (தேசிய கால்நடை இனவிருத்தி திட்டம் ) நிதியுடன் நடத்தப்படும் தமிழகத்தின் கறவை மாடுகளில் இனபெருக்கத் திறனை அதிகரிததலுக்கான தீவன வழிமுறைகள் விவசயிகளுக்கான வழிகாட்டுதல் கருத்தரங்க நிகழ்ச்சி சரவணம்பட்டியில் உள்ள எஸ் எம் எஸ் மஹாலில் நடந்தது. இந்த நிகழ்ச்சியில் விவசாயிகள் கலந்துகொண்டனர்