Mysore/Mysuru: Wildlife Conservation Foundation, a NGO and Karnataka Forest Department have jointly embarked on saving vultures facing extinction, by launching a two-day (Feb. 25 and  Feb. 26) Synchronised Vulture Census-2023, this morning at Bandipur Tiger Reserve, by involving 110 personnel including 70 Forest personnel.

The census has been taken up simultaneously at Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and all other forests in Karnataka, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala and Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu.

Prior to the Census, the birders and forest personnel were trained at respective tiger reserves yesterday.

Forest personnel Gopi and Anil Kumar of Wildlife Conservation Foundation Anil Kumar said: “the population of vultures has dwindled by 99 percent in the country and the Census is a big step towards saving that remaining one percent population of the bird species. There are nine species of vultures in India and four among them are found in Karnataka.”

The vultures, which were in thousands in numbers earlier, are pushed towards the brink of extinction, with a fewer among them remaining in countable numbers. Hence, 40 points have been identified for the census in Bandipur Tiger Reserve alone, that will come in handy in recording the present picture of the vultures.

According to records, there were over 2,000 vultures including Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala and Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, the numbers of which have been reduced to a skeletal size.

DCF and Director of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve Harsha Kumar Chikkanaragund presided over the training programme.