Cliff habitat needs a vulture safe zone

Cliff habitat needs a vulture safe zone

Environment

News:

1. Conservationists observe that there is a need to augment the conservation efforts to protect Palarapu cliff vulture habitat in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad, Telangana

Important Facts:

2. The Long-billed vulture or Indian vulture is critically endangered.

3. Palarapu cliff habitat is the only vulture habitat in Telangana

4. According to forest officials of Telangana, the Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) initiative of the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore needs to be implemented in Telangana to conserve vultures

5. Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) the natural habitat of wild vultures, of at least 100 Km radius made free of the presence of the drug Diclofenac found in animal carcasses

6. The drug is highly toxic for vulture and has been a major reason for decline in its population

7. The initiative includes massive nation-wide monitoring of use of Diclofenac. It also involves spreading awareness among people and various stakeholders

8. At present, VSZ initiative is concentrated in north Indian states only- Gujarat, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Assam