International Vulture Awareness Day celebrated at Kaziranga National Park

 KAZIRANGA: International Vulture Awareness Day was celebrated on Saturday in a unique manner at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve with the sensitization of over 70 newly recruited forest frontline staff on the various species of vultures and raptors found in Assam.

In the first session, the importance of vulture conservation and identification was discussed. This was followed by talk on "One Health" approach and safe handling of carcasses of wild animals, Kaziranga National Park authorities said. The awareness program was led by a team comprising of Dr Nilutpal Mahanta and Dr Khanin Changmai of the WWF India Raptor conservation program and jointly organized with Assam Forest Department. Globally, vultures are an ecologically irreplaceable group of birds that have faced extinction primarily due to anthropogenic factors. Kaziranga National Park is home to more than 25 species of Raptors out of which 6 species are that of vultures.

Three vulture species are critically endangered. Kaziranga with its protected habitats provides a refuge for the source population.

Vultures provide vital ecosystem services and keep our ecosystem clean. But due to certain toxic non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and accidental poisoning the population of vulture are declining very alarmingly in India. WWF-India has initiated the countrywide Raptor Conservation Programme in order to conserve the threatened raptors of India including the vultures. The session was attended by conservationists, local veterinarians, NGOs, Tour operators and local media. (ANI)

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