Did you know that Tamil Nadu boasts the largest population of vultures south of the Vindhya Mountain Range?
A synchronized vulture census was conducted on February 25 and 26, 2023 in the Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam, Bandipur and Waynad tiger reserves by the Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka forest departments.
In Mudumalai, 30 teams were formed, and in total, a hundred teams were involved in this census.
The purpose was to get an estimated population of these vultures, so that long-term planning can be done to save these birds from extinction.
In the Niligiris biosphere reserve, this is the only area where good number of vultures are seen.
According to vulture experts, Mudumalai is the only place where there are nesting sites for the vultures to breed.
Three vulture species that can be seen in Mudumalai tiger reserve are the Red headed vulture, White-rumped vulture, and the long-billed vulture.
The long-billed vulture and white-rumped vulture have been declared as critically endangered species.
Occasional migrants such as the Himalayan griffon vulture and the Cinerous vulture are also spotted each year.
Why is the vulture population declining?
Read the full story hereReporting: Sathyamoorthy M
Videos : Sathyamoorthy M, Getty Images
Production : Shibu Narayan
Script & Voiceover : Kanishkaa Balachandran
Inputs: Rohan Premkumar
