Haryana joins hands with BNHS to save vultures

Chandigarh, May 2 (UNI) In order to save the endangered species of vultures from extinction, the Haryana Forest Department today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) for vulture conservation breeding programme till 2019.

Haryana Forests Minister Kiran Choudhary said the Forest Deparment would provide land for the project while the BNHS would arrange the funding for the programme.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds of UK had assured funding to the BNHS for running the project for at least 15 years, she said.

The MoU was signed by Dr R D Jakati, Chief Wildlife Warden on behalf of the Forests Department and Dr A R Rehmani, Director of BNHS.

Ms Choudhary said three species of Gyps vultures--White backed, Long-billed and Slender billed--were on the verge of extinction.

She said the Haryana Forests Department had set up a vulture conservation breeding centre at Pinjore in 2001 and research carried out there had established that most of the vultures were dying in the country due to use of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug given to the cattle.

When the vultures fed on the carcasses of such cattle, they started dying, she added.

Ms Choudhary said she met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently and urged him to ban the use of Diclofenac in the country in order to save the vanishing vultures.

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