The Tripura Forest Department is planning to build a vulture colony at Khowai district of Tripura.
As per reports, a number of vultures have been recently sighted in the district. While 26 vultures have been sighted at Kalyanpur area, over 10 of them have been found at Chebri area of Khowai.
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Also read: Arunachal sanctuary records highest numbers of vultures this year: Report
With quite a number of vultures been sighted, the state Forest department is now preparing to set up a suitable habitat for the birds in Kalyanpur and Chebri areas by providing sufficient carcasses of animals.
Also read: Rescued Himalayan Griffon vultures released in Nagaon’s Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary
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The department is also planning to plant Shimul trees as vultures mostly roost on these kinds of trees.
Apart from Khowai, vultures have also been found in South Tripura and Siphajila districts of the State.
Vultures are ‘nature’s garbage disposers’ as they prey on corpses and helps in keeping the ecosystem clean and free of diseases.
Also read: 18 vultures found poisoned to death in Sivasagar
However, sufficient use of diclofenac tablets and habitat destruction has lead to declination in the population of vultures.
Although diclofenac tablets are good for relieving pain or swelling in humans, farmers often use these medicines illegally to treat cattle. However, as the tablets are costly, the farmers of Tripura do not buy it often.
Studies have revealed that vultures that devour carcasses of animals earlier treated with diclofenac suffer from severe kidney failure which ultimately leads to their death.
Also read: Assam Biodiversity Board lists 14 species under threatened category
White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) mostly found in Tripura has been identified as a cricitally endangered speices.
Last year, a team of reaearchers from Ecology and Wildlife biology unit of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) spotted a total of 97 vultures from Sibia ghat region under Namsing forest range of the Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary (DEMWS) sanctuary.
The team of scholars monitoring of vulture population trend in Arunachal Pradesh includes Jacob Ngukir, Abprez Thungwon Kimsing, Talo Biju and Tapak Tamir, under the supervision of Dr Mize.