Feb

Timely Rescue Call helps save vultures at Dhulijan village, Assam

Dhulijan, Assam, 31 January 2021:

Seven Slender-billed and two white-backed vultures flew back to the wild last Sunday, 31^st January in a small event organized by Wildlife Trust of India at Dhulijan village.

These vultures were part of a larger mixed flock of vultures who were dropping off their perches in Dhulijan village in the early hours of 18^th January.

Wildlife Trust of India’s Eastern Assam Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) Team rushed to the spot the next morning and rescued 13 comatose vultures that morning and brought them to the MVS Station for treating and reviving them. The next day four more vultures were brought in comatose.

“We suspect secondary poisoning, samples collected from the carcasses have been sent for forensic tests, and the results are awaited for determining the cause,” said Dr. Khanin Changmai, veterinarian, WTI MVS Eastern Assam unit. Khanin was the first responder to the rescue call and had treated the sick vultures at the MVS Station at Guijan and 10 of them responded well to the treatment and recovered.

Before the release ceremony, Dhulijan village folk observed a shraddh ceremony for the 36 vultures which could not be saved. Shraddh for a departed soul is normally observed by family members and is a mark of respect for the dead and the accompanying rituals are believed to ensure a safe passage to the departed. This noble gesture by the villagers is a mark of community conservation and aligned with our work ethos.

While one of the vultures decided to fly away early from the field station itself, the remaining nine which had recovered and ready to fly back to the wild were released in a ceremony graced by Vivek Menon, Founder, CEO and ED, WTI, ACF, Shri Krishna Gogoi, Doomdooma Forest Division, ERN members Trinayan Gogoi (Green Bud Society), Bijoy Gogoi (Evergreen Foundation), Hira Phukan and the youth and community of Dhulijan.

Wild Rescue one of WTI’s Core Programmes has six MVS Units operating in Assam, Arunachal, and Odisha, each MVS unit is equipped to respond to wildlife rescue calls and work in close coordination with the state forest department in helping in rescue and rehabilitation. Since 2015, more than 70 vultures that were poisoned have been released by the MVS units in Assam.