BANGALORE: The remant few vultures of the state , which can be primarily found near Ramadevara Betta at Ramanagaram district, have been offered a fresh leash of life as the area will soon get the tag of vulture sanctuary. The state government has approved and cleared the proposal in this regard; a notification will be issued in a couple of days, said a senior forest official.Expressing concern at the declining vulture population, a forest official on condition of anonimity said, “For the last three years, we have been requesting the government to consider our request to declare Ramadevara Betta (an area of 3.4 sq km) as vulture sanctuary. With this, the last few vultures in the state will be protected.”Listed as an endangered species, vultures, especially long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus), are found only around Ramadevara Betta in Karnataka and in Himachal Pradesh. The official said, “About three-four days back we spotted six long-billed vultures at Ramadevara Betta. However, wildlife NGOs peg this number at 10-12.” The official continued: “Once the area is declared as a sanctuary and eco-sensitive zone, we can take up protective measures, following which the vultures will be protected.”Over the past few decades, there has been a serious decline in the vulture population, almost 90 per cent. The official explains, “Vultures feed on carcasses of cattle which are administered with diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.This can be fatal as vultures are highly sensitive to diclofenac.”The Centre, though, has banned the production and usage of veterinary diclofenac since May 2006, but still it is being widely used in other combined forms. Plans are also afoot to set up a “vulture restaurant” in the sanctuary, where vultures will be served diclofenac-free carcasses.
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