: The Pala Rapu cliff, located in an isolated yet picturesque corner of the Bejjur mandal of the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, is abuzz with activity once again. Four chicks have hatched in the last few days, which adds to the numbers of its famous inhabitants, the critically endangered Indian or long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus).
The grey-brown sedimentary rock of the 100-metre high Pala Rapu cliff, situated close to the confluence of the Peddavagu stream and the perennial Pranahita river, stretches 250 metres wide at its base.
“We expect a few more eggs to hatch soon,” says M. Ravikanth, wildlife biologist and field researcher at the Long-Billed Vulture Conservation Area in the Murliguda forest of the Bejjur range, the only one of its kind in Telangana. He adds, “Though we cannot see the eggs from here, the activity in the nests on the habitat says it all.”
Uncertain numbers
At present, there are ten pairs of adult vultures on the cliff habitat. Nine of them are found in nesting sites and one is in a roosting site. With four chicks and five immature birds visiting the place, the total number of the scavenger birds on Pala Rapu increased to 29 which, curiously, is less than the 30 (including 24 adults) reported after last year’s breeding season.
“Some of the birds could have migrated to the Lakkamedala vulture habitat located in the neighbouring Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, aerially just 10 km away. The Kamalapur ‘vulture restaurant’ (where diclofenac-free animal carcasses are arranged for vultures by conservationists) close to that habitat could have attracted these high fliers,” surmised the wildlife biologist.
“Yes, this is possible, but we cannot be sure unless a study of both the habitats is conducted,” pointed out Humayun Taher, a senior member of the Hyderabad-based Birdwatchers Society of Andhra Pradesh, who has visited the site. “Teams of researchers should simultaneously visit both the habitats for the purpose,” he suggested.
Another method to track the movement of vultures is non-invasive marking, Mr. Taher said. This, he felt would yield better results.
Awareness programme
The Bejjur forest team under the leadership of Forest Range Officer M. Ram Mohan and the guidance of Kagaznagar Divisional Forest Officer M. Ravi Prasad has made the vulture habitat much safer since 2013, when it was discovered. The teams regularly conduct awareness programmes on the need to protect the vultures among villagers around the Pala Rapu cliff.
