Mysore varsity, forest dept plan to conserve endangered vultures

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT
Bengaluru

In a bid to protect vultures, which are facing extinction, Mysore University’s Department of Genetics and Genomics and Karnataka Forest Department have taken up a special programme.
A vulture sanctuary was officially set up at Ramadevara Betta in Ramanagara in 2012, but the long-billed Egyptian and white-backed vultures have been roosting in the hills of Ramanagar for several decades. This was the only vulture sanctuary in South India  and the Forest Department had taken several steps to protect and conserve this variety of vultures in this 856-acre sanctuary for nearly a decade.
However, the vulture habitat was declining every year. It was said that Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana had stayed on this hill because of which it has been known as Ramadevara Betta for several decades. A pond is situated on his hill and it was believed that it was created by Lord Rama with an arrow for his wife to take bath.
The food chain plays a very vital role in the conservation of the vultures, but its number has decreased by almost 95 per cent. There are nine varieties of vultures in the country of which only three were surviving.
The purpose of taking up the joint project was to study the lifestyle, anatomy and DNA of the three surviving varieties so that steps could be taken for breeding. In this connection, the Forest Department has decided to do DNA profiling of these vultures and the test would help in finding the sex of these vultures.
Memorandum of Understanding
A memorandum of Understanding has been signed by Prof G.Hemant Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Mysore and Deputy Conservators of Forests P. Devaraj and Edukondala, and Prof S.S. Malini, chief coordinator of this project which aims at increasing the population of these vultures by using modern technology.
Prof Hemant Kumar has said this has been a historical agreement as the Department of Genetics and genomics has taken up an important study with the close coordination of Karnataka Forest Department. With this MoU, both the Forest Department and the Varsity would jointly do DNA profiling, he added.
According to Vidhu Prakash, Director, Vulture Conservation Programme, three varieties of vultures were facing extinction. The long-billed vulture, white-backed vulture and small-billed vulture are the surviving varieties which depend on the dead bodies. They would fly in the area of 100 km in search of food. In the 80s, the country had around 40 lakh vultures and now its number has dwindled.
The vultures feed on dead animals and the virus or bacteria in the dead animals used to die inside its stomach. However, since they were on the verge of extinction, their digestive powers have diminished and they   are getting affected by viruses.