Endangered vultures survive poisoning, released in forest

Guwahati, March 13 (IANS) The Assam forest department and the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) on Friday released nine endangered wild vultures after they survived poisoning in Assam's Tinsukia district.

The birds were part of a group of endangered vultures that fell victim to carcass poisoning at Dangori area under Doomdooma Forest Division in Tinsukia district on March 4, the IFAW-WTI officials said.

Nine of the vultures survived after being treated by the Eastern Assam Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) unit of the IFAW-WTI, they added.

A total of 31 vultures have died due to the poisoning while these nine survived and were released in the forest today, said M.K. Dhar, DFO, Tinsukia Wildlife Division.

The nine includes seven Himalayan griffons vulture, one slender bill and one white-rumped vulture.

A local youth, Biswajit Sonowal, and his friends helped in rescuing the sick birds from the carcass poisoning incident site on March 4.

He subsequently informed this to the IFAW-WTI and the forest department, who kept the vultures under observation at the MVS unit.

"The recovery of the poisoned vultures is a great success of IFAW-W TI MVS team and the forest department. I appeal to the villagers that if you find any such case please inform the department as soon as possible. It was a sad incident, we have to learn the lesson from this incident for the conservation of this endangered bird species," Dhar said.