Suspected pesticide poisoning kills 100 endangered vultures in Assam
The vultures belonged to the Himalayan griffon species, while the eagle was a steppe eagle – both birds are listed in List 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 as endangered species in need of strict protection.
About 100 endangered flu and eagles have died in the Chaigon area of Assam due to suspected pesticide poisoning, officials said Saturday.
According to forest officials, the incident took place on Thursday night in Milanpur, Chaigaon, about 45 km west of Guwahati, when birds ate meat from a poisonous corpse of a small animal, possibly a goat or dog.
“We received information about the death of vultures in this area on Thursday evening. The team found 97 dead griffons in the field. We managed to save 11 vultures and 1 eagle from the site, “said Dimpijs Bora, a forester in the Kamrupa (Western) Forest Department.
Three more vultures and an eagle were killed on Friday, despite efforts by the authorities to save the birds by causing them to vomit.
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The vultures belonged to the Himalayan griffon species, while the eagle was a steppe eagle – both birds are listed in List 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 as endangered species in need of strict protection.
“We found the bones of a small animal, possibly a goat or a dog, covered with a powdery substance where the birds were found. A cow’s body has also been found about a kilometer away. According to the symptoms, the vultures seem to eat meat covered with insecticides, ”said Bora.
“The exact information will be confirmed when a forensic report is received. Investigations show that the villagers may have poisoned the corpses to get rid of the threat of stray dogs, but the grief fell victim. The rest of the rescued vultures are in good condition.
Forest workers burned the dead vultures and eagles near the site on Thursday and Friday.
“This is a really sad day for Assam. The loss of 100 vultures because the villagers used organophosphates (a type of insecticide), mainly to kill stray dogs, eventually led to the killing of griffins. Bibhab Talukdar, Secretary – General of the NGO Aranyak.
In the last few years, there have been several deaths in Assam from eating poisonous animals. In two separate accidents in the Tinsukia area in January and February last year, 56 vultures died after eating poisonous cow carcasses.
In April 2020, 19 vultures died in the Sivasagara area who had eaten dead cow meat in one day. In March 2019, 39 griffins died in the same area, consuming poisonous meat.
State Forest Department officials said the incident occurred in a rice field in Chihuahua District, Kamrup County, about 45 km west of Guwahati.
The area is close to a village where at least 10 endangered influenza people died in February 2020 from eating pesticide-laden carcasses.
“After the information was obtained, we arrived. At least 100 vultures had died by then. Sachin Ranade from the Vulture Conservation Rani near Guwahati said:” We managed to save 12 vultures and the steppe eagle, which is also a waste trap.
Suspected pesticide poisoning kills 100 endangered vultures in Assam
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
