The recent sightings of a “committee” of vultures in Demthring village of West Jaintia Hills have raised curiosities and brought spotlight on the vultures. Interestingly, the collective noun for a group of vultures is called a “committee”.
The vulture species sighted here is the Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis). This species is categorised in the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened which indicates that the population of this species is declining. This is a species which is native to the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan Plateau. They are one of the largest and heaviest birds found in the Himalayan Region. They can weigh from 6 to12 kg and their wingspan can extend from 2.5 to 3 meters and are known to live up to 40-45 years.
The State of Meghalaya is their natural range even though we are seeing a lesser number of birds these days. They are seen to locally migrate when it comes to the fluctuation in the food source. They prefer to make nests in high cliffs which are relatively untouched by humans. There has been a drastic decline in the vulture population in India.
In fact, a study by the Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS) points out this alarming fact that the vulture population in India had shown a whopping 99 per cent decline since the 1980s! The veterinary anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac was a major factor resulting in the death of vultures feeding on the carcasses of domestic livestock treated with this drug. They are obligatory scavengers which mean that they feed exclusively on carrion and this factor dominated the vulture decline.
Scavengers are mostly the tough and hardy ones in terms of disease resistance because of their specific role in the food chain and if these tough ones are disappearing fast, there is a serious ecological catastrophe happening.
The decline in vulture population can have very serious ecological implications. Diclofenac drug has been banned in India since 2006 but drug poisoning coupled with the other factors like habitat decline, reduced food availability, collision with energy infrastructure, traditional belief systems etc continue to pose threat to these birds.
These birds are also victims of black magic and traditional medicines along with a wide array of species like rhinoceros which are poached for their horns, tigers for bones or the pangolins for their scales. All of these have absolutely no scientific basis. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 these birds are categorised in Schedule I thus legally entitled to the same degree of protection as the Tigers.
But in general, these birds are looked down upon, they don’t have the colour or charm of other so called “beautiful birds” and moreover they are associated with death and decay. What is being overlooked is their critical role as nature’s own clean-up crew. They perform the critically important ecosystem service of cleaning up the carcasses and other organic waste and effectively propel the cycle of life and rejuvenation. They are the most effective garbage collectors.
Studies have shown that in areas where there are no vultures, carcasses take up to three to four times longer to decompose and this in turn has a huge implication on the spread of pathogens. In the backdrop of post-Covid and other zoonotics we can better appreciate this yeoman ecological cleanliness service.
Thus, exploring a little deep into the ecological role of vultures will leave us with a new sense of respect towards these noble cleaners. The sighting of the large committee of vultures in our region is a welcome indicator of an environment that is healthy. Hopefully vultures turnout to be a common sight as we learn to live in harmony with nature.
(The author is an officer of Indian Forest Service and is working as Divisional Forest Officer, Forests and Environment Department, Government of Meghalaya. The views expressed are her own)
