Establishing ‘vulture safe zones’ free from toxic veterinary drugs in the country is the only way to protect the white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) from its imminent extinction, according to wildlife experts.
“The government has already banned the sale of toxic veterinary drug Diclofenac, but it’s still found in the market, while another drug, Ketoprofen, is sold legally, but these drugs very harmful to vulture,” IUCN vulture investigator ABM Sarowar Alam told UNB.
Prof Dr Anwarul Islam, the chief executive of Wildteam, said the country’s northeastern part is now the stronghold of vulture as the region is suitable for its habitation because it has forests.
“If a safe vulture zone free from toxic veterinary drug use and human disturbance could be established, it’ll definitely help increase the country’s vulture population,” he said.
Sarowar said the IUCN Bangladesh with support from the government has taken a project to identity the hotspots of vulture and surveyed nesting, roosting and feeding sites of vulture at different potential sites of two focal areas in greater Sylhet and greater Mymensingh.
A total of 51 white-rumped vultures were sighted roosting in Rema-kalenga wildlife sanctuary in Habiganj during a recent survey (May-June, 2014) of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Some 14 active nests were found, of which 7 nests were identified with fledglings.
Three Himalayan Vultures (Gyps himalayensis) were found roosting in Deorachara Tea Garden in Komolgong upazilla, Moulvibazar. In Derachara and Kalachara, the survey team identified about 30 nesting and roosting trees along with an abandoned nest.
A group of five vultures (3 White-rumped vultures and 2 Himalayan vultures) were found eating carcasses at Matarcapon in Moulvibazar district. During its field visits, the survey team found two dead vultures — one in a nest and another on a forest floor near a nesting tree.
Sarowar Alam, the principal investigator of the IUCN’s vulture conservation in Bangladesh project, said to establish vulture safe zones, they have identified vulture hotspots and prepared a GIS-based map of proposed vulture safe zone in greater Sylhet in the northeast part of Bangladesh.
“For vulture safe zone mapping, the expert team selected the nesting site as a centre of the safe zone. We’ve also identified an inner 50-km radius area as the core zone with the initial and highest intensity of awareness activities and a zero tolerance for any veterinary diclofenac,” he said.
The IUCN vulture investigator said the outer 50-100 km radius is treated as slightly later in the programme, although again there must be a zero tolerance for any veterinary diclofenac within this region.
Toxic Drugs
With a view to identifying the use status of toxic veterinary drugs that cause harm to the vulture, the IUCN research team recently carried out a pharmacy survey on 95 local drugstores in 11 districts of greater Sylhet and greater Mymensingh.
Three different classes of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Diclofenac, ketoprofen and meloxicam) were purchased from pharmacies. Out of 95 pharmacies, 64 percent of pharmacies stocked veterinary drugs.
As active ingredient, Diclofenac, Ketoprofen and Meloxicam found to have 17 percent, 50 percent and 17 percent drugs in different surveyed stores respectively. During the survey, a total of 2 injectable brands of diclofenac, 8 injectable brands of ketoprofen and two injectable brand of Meloxicam were recorded. Diclofenac and Ketoprofen are poisonous to vulture.
The survey team found banned Diclofenac drug in Trishal (Mymensingh), Taragong (Rangpur) and Syedpur (Nilphamary).
Works ahead
Saving Asia’s critically endangered vultures from extinction, IUCN Bangladesh in collaboration with Bangladesh Forest Department has taken an initiative on ‘White-rumped Vulture conservation in Bangladesh: Establishment of toxic drug free Vulture Safe Zones (VSZ) and Monitoring the Population trend. The two—year programme formally began in March 2014.
The main objective of the project is to establish a sustainable vulture population in the country by preventing its population decline through establishing a number of vulture safe zones across the country.
The White-rumped Vulture was once widely seen in Bangladesh but now considered as rare and thinly distributed one with a population of less than 1,000 individuals.
During the last one decade, it is scientifically proven beyond doubt that the use of Diclofenac in animals, especially in cattle, has led to the massive mortality and a sharp decline in the vulture population.
Source: UNB Connect
