White-rumped vulture
The white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia.
It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000, as the population severely declined.
White-rumped vultures die of kidney failure caused by diclofenac poisoning.
In the 1980s, the global population was estimated at several million individuals, and it was thought to be "the most abundant large bird of prey in the world".
As of 2021, the global population was estimated at less than 6,000 mature individuals.
It is closely related to the European griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus).
At one time it was believed to be closer to the white-backed vulture of Africa and was known as the Oriental white-backed vulture.
Sigur Plateau
Sigur Plateau
Sigur Plateau (Segur Plateau) is a plateau in the north and east of Nilgiri District in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu.
Portion of the Moyar River drainage basin on the northern slopes of the Nilgiri Hills, south of the Moyar River.
It is important wildlife corridor in the Western ghats to sustain elephant and tiger numbers and their genetic diversity.
It is an important link between several contiguous protected areas forming the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected forest area in India.
This area supports over 6,300 elephants,that represents the largest single population of elephants and tigers in India.
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which includes Sigur Plateau and the Nilgiri Hills, is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
A proposal has been initiated to notify Sigur and adjoining forest areas as a wildlife sanctuary for Vultures.
Why it is in news?
Despite the protective measures, the future remains extremely perilous for the critically endangered white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) in the Sigur plateau in the Nilgiris, the last southernmost viable breeding population for the species in India.
A study has highlighted the stagnation of the population in Sigur.
Data from the recent synchronous vulture census in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have shown that the white-rumped vulture population remains roughly in the same range.
The white-rumped and other vulture species in India have been decimated by the use of diclofenac and a few other Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in cattle.
Anthropogenic pressures, such as cattle-grazing and poorly designed check-dams, have depleted the habitats over the last few years.
Prime nesting site at Jagalikadavu has been impacted severely by the check-dams along the Sigurhalla river that have restricted water flow, killing off many Terminalia arjuna trees where the vulture nest.
The vulture is a colonial species. Due to anthropogenic pressures and the degrading habitat, the species is having to split up into smaller groups across Mudumalai to survive.
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