Assam village chiefs made stakeholders in vulture conservation

An Assam-based biodiversity conservation organisation has roped in gram pradhans or village chiefs as stakeholders within the combat to avoid wasting vultures.

An schooling, consciousness, and sensitisation marketing campaign launched by Aaranyak on Thursday (August 21, 2025) noticed scores of village chiefs converge on the Chhaygaon Revenue Circle workplace in Kamrup district. Chhaygaon is about 42 km southwest of Guwahati.

Aaranyak’s Dipankar Lahkar stated Kamrup district has been one of many deathbeds for vultures in Assam. Hundreds of those scavenging birds have been killed within the district, largely after devouring pesticide-laced carcases.

Chiranjib Das, the Chhaygaon Circle Officer, emphasised the pivotal position the influential gram pradhans might play in spreading the vulture conservation message throughout villages.

“We have misplaced at the least 600 vultures within the final 15 years owing to chemical poisoning. Educating folks and growing their participation in vulture conservation is vital for the way forward for these birds,” he stated.

“We are trying to deliver everybody on board by way of our flagship Sagun Mitra and Nest Guardianship initiatives,” he stated, including that poison-free meals may also help rebuild the vulture inhabitants. Sagun is Assamese for vulture.

One of the village chiefs who attended the programme stated most poisoning incidents are outcomes of individuals making an attempt to fight cattle predation by wild carnivores and feral canines.

Experts defined to the village chiefs how the vultures play an essential ecological position by preserving the atmosphere disease-free as “nature’s cleansing crew”.

According to the Oriental Bird Club, which offered native help to the marketing campaign, the inhabitants of resident vultures within the Kamrup district has virtually collapsed. A couple of species, such because the slender-billed vulture, have populations of lower than 900 birds throughout their distribution ranges.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medicines similar to Diclofenac, Aceclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Nimesulide, that are used to deal with bovine ache and fever, have been recognized as a major reason for the vulture tragedy.

While the federal government of India has prohibited using all these NSAIDs for veterinary functions, poisonings attributable to pesticides similar to organophosphates and carbofuran stay. Experts stated the decline in vulture populations has led to a rise in illnesses in people, accounting for 48,000 deaths per yr within the nation.