The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) will work with the Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS) to introduce vultures at Doongerwadi, stated the Hindustan Times (HT) on January 24, 2024. This comes on the heels of the Society releasing 10 long billed vultures at the Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, and Tadoba Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, to counteract dwindling populations there, stated the newspaper. BPP chairman Viraf Mehta told Parsiana on February 2 that they have had very preliminary conversations with BNHS. "We will be happy to work with them. We have not had detailed meetings yet.”
Society president Praveen Pardeshi told the newspaper that, "Once they are introduced (at Doongerwadi), we are hoping that they can adapt to their ecological role. We will continue to look after the birds by providing alternate food when there are no funerals. We can use the learning from Pench and Tadoba; we know what is to be done to re-wild the vultures.” Pardeshi did not respond to Parsiana’s request for details till the time of going to press.
Prized vulture Photo: Wikipedia
Mehta told HT that "We have had discussions with BHNS in the past. I am happy to start a fresh dialogue to introduce vultures at Doongerwadi which can benefit the Parsi community.”
Previous attempts to set up a vulture aviary in the early 2010s under the Doongerwadi Vulture Recovery Project had come to naught over dissensions among the dasturs and other reasons. Wildlife conservationist Darshan Khatau, who resides near Raj Bhavan, Malabar Hill, told HT that "The last I saw a vulture was over a decade and a half ago. There were over hundred vultures in the area at one time, who could be spotted atop palm trees near Spenta Apartments.” He cautioned that special care needs to be taken for the birds brought from a different region to thrive in Bombay. "We need a healthy population of vultures which can be introduced at the Towers of Silence, although we cannot control the use of Dicloflenac (a pain-killer drug) in patients who die,” stated Khatau. Diclofenac ingested by the raptors when eating animal and human carcasses was responsible for their numbers diminishing drastically in the 1980s and 1990s.