With the nesting season in full swing, the Forest Department and researchers from the Government Arts College hereare monitoring the nesting sites of the critically endangered White-rumped vulture in the Sigur plateau.
Partly supported by the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, the Survey and Research for Vulture Conservation Project aims at identifying active nesting sites in the four White-rumped vulture colonies in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve.
Nesting sites
B. Ramakrishnan, co-ordinator for the project and Assistant Professor at the Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology at the college, said the nesting sites at two of the four colonies had been identified, and 24 active nests had been found to be thriving. He said the nests at the remaining two colonies too would be identified with the help of A.Samson, a research scholar specialising in monitoring the vulture population in the Sigur plateau.
Mr. Ramakrishnan said that there were around 150 White-rumped vultures in the Sigur plateau, and that compared to the previous years, there was hope among researchers and forest department officials that there could be more successful hatchings of the species this year, owing to the availability of water in the region and other beneficial factors.
In 2014-2015, the hatching rate was only 54 % owing to lack of water. It rose to 62 % in 2016 as the conditions improved.
“We expect that the hatching rate could increase further this year due to seemingly better conditions, including ideal wind speeds, which is another crucial factor,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan.
Deputy Director of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Buffer Zone), A. Pushpakaran, said a team of forest staff headed by the Sigur forest ranger, called Vulture Watchers, is assisting researchers in the exercise. “We are monitoring and protecting the vultures and ensuring that there are no anthropogenic factors that could negatively influence the nesting season,” said Mr. Pushpakaran.
The nesting season of the White-rumped vulture will extend till January, with the Forest Department and researchers continuing to monitor the hatchlings and monitoring their survival rate over the coming months.
