Rare vulture population up: study

KATHMANDU, Nepal– The number of Asian white-backed which was under the verge of extinction till few years back, has increased in the recent years, thanks to the awareness porgammes including the vulture conservation action plan launched by conservation groups.

An annual road count vultures’ survey carried out by the Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), across the Tarai lowland covering the East-West Highway this month found the number of Asian white-backed vulture at 68.

The census had put the number of these critically endangered scavengers at 43, last year.

The survey was carried out from May 2 to 16 at the initiation of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, United Kingdom.

Since 2002, the BCN has been carrying out national vulture survey to identify the exact number of the endangered spices that had witnessed a significant decline in their population due to the veterinary use of Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.