India’s first vulture breeding centre takes flight from Gorakhpur
CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurates the facility; it includes breeding aviary, holding aviary, hospital aviary, nursery aviary, veterinary section, administrative building, guard room, generator room, etc
GORAKHPUR India’s first conservation and breeding centre for the Asian King Vultures was inaugurated in Bharivaisi, Campierganj Range of the Gorakhpur forest division by chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday. The facility - Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre - aims to improve the population of the species, which has been listed as critically endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list since 2007.
Other vulture conservation and breeding centres in the country have long-billed and white-backed vultures, said officials.
The centre in Gorakhpur set up at a cost of ₹2.80 crore includes breeding aviary, holding aviary, hospital aviary, nursery aviary, veterinary section, administrative building, recovery aviary, guardroom, generator room, and pathways. Six vultures (male and female) have been introduced to the facility. According to the action plan, the goal is to release 40 pairs of vultures from the centre over the next 8 to 10 years.
The facility has eight staff, including biologists and scientists, dedicated to round-the-clock monitoring of the vultures here and their care.
“These vultures make one partner in their lifetime and lay one egg in a year. Hence, their monitoring is our highest priority,” said a senior officer at the centre.
Asian King Vultures are endangered due to loss of their habitats and excessive use of diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in domestic animals, which becomes poisonous for vultures, said experts.
The birds at the centre are fed twice a week and each has a diet of around 3kg meat at a time. The centre aims to ensure good health of the growing vultures and provide them a partner. Once a female lays eggs, the pair will be left free in their natural environment, depending upon the condition and circumstances.
“There are six king vultures with us - one male and five females. We are making efforts to get more males,” said Dr Durgesh Nandan, scientific officer at the centre, who was felicitated by chief minister for his work, during the event. Making a pair is difficult as the male or female might reject each other.
Red-headed vultures are rarely seen in Uttar Pradesh. In 2023, they were spotted in Chitrakoot. The first vulture was brought to this centre on December 30, 2022 and later, another was brought.