In the Dudhwa Buffer Zone (DBZ), Lakhimpur, UP, twenty five Himalayan Griffon vultures were found dead after feeding on dog carcasses. Another five Griffons were recovered in an unconscious state from near the agriculture field they were feeding. Per reports, the fatality occurred in the Semariya village under the Bhira range of DBZ.
Kirti Chaudhary, deputy director, DBZ told the Hindustan Times that three of the five unconscious vultures were released after treatment, as the rest are still under observation. Kirti stated that caracasses of four canines were recovered from the spot where some vultures were found dead and a few unconscious.
While the postmortem report of the vultures and the dogs is yet to come, there are rumors that the dogs were poisoned as they attacked the goats. Consequently, when the vultures nibbled on the poisoned carrion, they succumbed. The samples of the remains of vultures and dogs will be sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly for further analysis.
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The Himalayan Griffons are mostly found in Northeast India, the Tibetan plateau and spotted across some other regions of Asia as well, including Nepal and as far as Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Combidia. Scientifically known as Gyps himalayensis, they are classified as Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1). Among other natural causes, the Himalayan Griffons face an existential threat due to the presence of diclofenac, found in the carrion of several domesticated animals and birds.
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