Coimbatore MP Ganapathi Rajkumar flags off Vulture Awareness Campaign
I will raise my voice in Parliament to protect the critically endangered vultures - Speech by Honourable Member of Parliament for Coimbatore, Dr. Ganapathi P. Rajkumar, on International Vulture Awareness Day.
As an endeavour to create awareness among the people as part of the International Vulture Awareness Day we ar Arulagam launched an awareness campaign vehicle.
Hon. MP for Coimbatore Dr. Ganapathy P Rajkumar flagged off the vulture awareness campaign at VOC Park in the city. The campaign vehicle will cover a total of 600 km in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Nilgiris districts.
He proposed the creation of a district-level initiative to preserve and promote local flora and fauna, similar to the efforts made at the national and state levels. He also warned that even clearing the bush would affect the food chain. He also promised to raise the issue of vulture conservation in Parliament.
Mayor R. Ranganayaki graced the occasion and emphasised to throw away the superstition beliefs prevailing among the public about the vultures through the campaign.
“We are working closely with the tribal and villagers in these three districts based on the guidelines of the Tamil Nadu forest department”, sharing the aim of the initiative S Bharathidasan, Secretary Arulagam, said that the first Saturday of September month is observed as the Vulture’s Awareness Day as vultures are one of the critical faunal communities that have to be safeguarded to maintain a healthy environment.
Mr. N Manisundar, state President of Environment Wing, DMK, Mr. K Kalidass, founder of Osai NGO participated in the event and shared their valuable speeches.
K Kalidass, founder of Osai, an NGO, said that, Forty years ago, vultures were a common sight, but now they are restricted to a few forest areas. In Tamil Nadu, vultures have largely retreated to the forest areas of Coimbatore, Erode, and Nilgiris districts. The sighting of vultures in the Sirumugai area of Coimbatore is a positive indicator of a potential population increase. This suggests that vultures may be expanding their range or recolonizing areas they previously inhabited.
The correlation between vulture populations and tiger populations is intriguing. Both species play important roles in the ecosystem, and their presence can indicate a healthy and balanced environment. K Kalidass's optimism about the recovery of vultures is commendable. With the cooperation of local communities and continued conservation efforts, there is hope that vulture populations can rebound.
N Manisundar, state President of Environment Wing, DMK said that the participation of elected representatives, including the Member of Parliament and Honorable Mayor, is a significant endorsement of the importance of vulture conservation. Their involvement can help raise awareness, mobilise resources, and support policy changes that benefit vultures.
Sharing the aim of the initiative S Bharathidasan, Secretary ‘Of Arulagam’ an NGO said that the first Saturday of September month is observed as the Vulture’s Awareness Day as vultures are one of the critical faunal communities that have to be safeguarded to maintain a healthy environment.
“We are working closely with the tribal and villagers in these three districts based on the guidelines of the Tamil Nadu forest department.
The major decline in the vulture population over the years was due to the use of diclofenac to cattle that acted as painkillers for the treatment of cattle. As a result, the central government has banned diclofenac and recently aceclofenac and ketoprofen were also banned. He appealed to the vets and drug store owners to avoid harmful drugs such as diclofenac, ketoprofen and aceclofenac to revive the vulture population.
“Tamil Nadu is home to majorly three of nine vulture species residing in India that are listed as critically endangered and Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). White-rumped Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, and Long-billed Vulture, are the most often recorded species in the Moyar Valley, between Sathyamangalam in the east and Mudumalai in the west. However, the number of individuals of each mentioned species is not abundant across their confined distribution range in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The campaign vehicle will cover a total of 600 km in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Nilgiris districts.
