Delhi zoo spares some time for vultures

Coinciding with the International Vulture Awareness Day on Saturday, the authorities at the National Zoological Park have organised daylong programmes for spreading a word about the bird on the verge of extinction. Nivedita Khandekar reports.

Coinciding with the International Vulture Awareness Day on Saturday, the authorities at the National Zoological Park have organised daylong programmes for spreading a word about the bird on the verge of extinction.

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For some years now, the park - known popularly as the Delhi zoo - has just one white vulture in its aviary.

An ecologically vital group of birds, vultures face several threats in the Indian environment that has constantly pressurised the existence of many of its species.

The zoo authorities have planned the daylong awareness programme in collaboration with the Zoo Outreach Organisation in Coimbatore and the focus would be schoolchildren.

"Activities for the day have been designed with the help of special kits provided by the Zoo Outreach Organisation. We are going to screen a special documentary. There would also be discussions and also an impromptu poetry recitation session," Riaz Khan, zoo's curator (education), said.

Students will also take an oath for contributing to the conservation of such endangered species, Khan said.

Called the scavenger species, vultures can clean up any dead animal - the carcass - in a short time without leaving back any smell or dirty remains.

However, in recent times vultures are increasingly becoming victims of large-scale use of pesticides by agriculturists, an official said.