World’s First Asian King Vulture Center – Uttar Pradesh

June 25, 2024

Uttar Pradesh has started building the world’s first center for protecting and raising the Asian king vulture, also called the red-headed vulture, in Maharajganj. The species has been on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List since 2007 because it is in grave danger. This project aimed to save it.

Significance of the Asian King Vulture

The Asian king vulture used to live all over India, but diclofenac poisoning caused a huge drop in the number of these birds. This non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug was used on pets, but it killed the birds that were eating the dead animals. As soon as this important species was listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, immediate action was needed to protect it.

Objectives and Facilities at the Centre

The Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Center has high-tech tools for keeping an eye on and taking care of these vultures all the time. The center has dedicated staff, such as a scientific officer and a biologist, and strict security measures, such as CCTV tracking, to make sure that people don’t get too close to the birds. This species is being brought back to health with the help of a special diet and a controlled breeding setting.

Breeding and Conservation Strategy

Vultures are monogamous, which means they only lay one egg a year and stay with the same partner their whole lives. The center’s breeding plan is based on matching them up. The controlled setting at the center is meant to make it easier for these birds to go back into the wild in the future. The main goal is to slowly grow the population so that the animals can be released back into their natural habitat after they have successfully reproduced.

Recent Developments and Future Plans

Since its first vultures arrived in December 2022, the center has successfully housed more birds, and it hopes to grow by adding more females so they can breed. The vultures’ ability to mate and have babies will be very important for protecting the species because it will lead to more birds and, hopefully, a lower listing as threatened.

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