An awareness programme on conservation of vultures was conducted for people residing in tribal hamlets such as Siriur, Valaithottam, Anaikatty, Boothanatham, Ebbanadu and Bokkapuram in the Nilgiris North Division, recently. The programme was organised by the Forest Department and Arulagam, an NGO involved in vulture conservation.
Pamphlets
Volunteers staged street plays and sang songs to convey the message to the village elders and school children. A photo exhibition explained about the activities of human beings that affect vultures. A door-to-door pamphlet distribution drive was also organised.
Forest officials, who participated in the event, stressed on how the commonly used chemicals and poisons endangered vultures. Villagers were also asked not to bury the carcass of animals as it would be food for vultures. They were asked to alert forest personnel in the event of forest fire and also when they spot an injured vulture or its chick.
Arulagam secretary S. Bharathi Dasan said that next week they are planning to create awareness though puppetry at Thengumaragada, Allampalayam and Allimoyar in the Bhavani Sagar area.
The villagers have been asked to alert forest personnel if they spot an injured vulture or its chick
