Guest blog by Dr Toby Galligan, Senior Conservation Scientist, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science
Saving Vultures from Extinction (SAVE) is preparing for the first release of captive-bred white-rumped vultures Gyps bengalensis in South Asia. The RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, a SAVE Core Partner, is ensuring that the success of these releases is optimised through science.
Population crash
SAVE is an international consortium concerned with the conservation of vultures in South Asia. SAVE runs a successful captive breeding programme for the conservation of the region’s three critically endangered Gyps vulture species: the white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis; long-billed vulture Gyps indicus; and slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris. Populations of these vultures have crashed by up to 99.9% in recent decades. The cause was identified to be diclofenac, a painkiller in veterinary use that is highly toxic to vultures. Vultures ingest diclofenac when they consume livestock carcasses left for scavengers.
Signs of population recovery
SAVE advocated for a ban on veterinary diclofenac, which has reduced the prevalence of diclofenac in livestock carcasses by half. Subsequently, the decline in Gyps vultures has slowed. In fact, some species may be starting to recover. An amendment to that ban in 2015 to include the misuse of human formulations in livestock is expected to reduce the prevalence of diclofenac even further and enable vulture populations to recover.
Captive breeding success
Meanwhile in SAVE’s Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres, efforts to ensure vultures will breed and to maximise the number of fledglings produced each year have resulted in breeding targets being reached. We are confident that we can continue to breed and rear Gyps vultures into the future. With increasing captive populations and decreasing diclofenac use, it is the right time to start to release captive-bred vultures.
Photo of long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) nestling that has been artificially incubated and hand-reared allowing its parents to incubate and rear another, doubling the number of vultures produced per year. Photo by Conor Jameson.
Optimising the success of releases
While release aviaries are being built and individual vultures are selected for release, RSPB scientists have been preparing to use satellite telemetry to track vultures on release. Using tracking devices that use satellite constellations to transmit data from animals in the field to scientists at desktops is nothing new (in fact, we have used this method on vultures before); but it is key to ensuring the success of the releases.
Photo of RSPB scientists working with Bird Conservation Nepal and the Bombay Natural History Society to deploy satellite tags on red-headed vultures (Sarcogyps calvus) in Nepal in 2015. Photo by Toby Galligan.
Safety first
We have teamed up with VulPro, a vulture conservation organisation in South Africa, to understand the effect of telemetry devices on vultures. VulPro have tagged nearly 100 vultures and released the same number without telemetry devices. All vultures have ID wing tags that enable re-sightings of individuals to be made. We are currently analysing these re-sightings' data, comparing survival between vultures with and without devices.
Photo of Cape griffon (Gyps coprotheres) ready to be released – some with telemetry devices, some without (can you spot those with?), all with ID wing tags – at VulPro in South Africa. Photo by Toby Galligan
A perfect fit
Telemetry devices are typically fitted to vultures using backpack-style harnesses, but the materials and means of fitting vary among researchers. Considering various different materials and methods, we teamed up with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in India to trial harness designs on vultures that are housed in colony aviaries that are large enough to allow flapping flight. After two years, veterinarians from the BNHS and Zoological Society of London (ZSL) examined the trial vultures for injuries and found none. In addition, no abnormal behaviour was noticed during the two year period.
Wild vultures as control group
Telemetry devices will enable us to follow released vultures from our computers and in the field. We will be able to know where and when released vultures range, eat, roost and nest.
The success of the releases will depend on how our vultures do in the wild; and to know this we must compare their behaviour, movement and survival to that of wild vultures. Therefore, we plan to trap and tag as many wild vultures as those that we will initially release. We have been gaining expertise in trapping wild vultures with the Grup D’Anellament Calldetenes – Osona (GACO) who regularly ring vultures in Spain.
Find out more about our work to Save Asia's Vultures from Extinction
Brilliant effort by all concerned especially the Bombat Natural History Society and Bird Conservation Nepal and ZSL .However I am sure but for the RSPB stepping in and providing its expertise and the drive these vultures would now be extinct. A very great achievement.
redkite
Brilliant project, good luck with it. I was in India earlier this year and saw one vulture in 10 days (immature Egyptian at the Taj Mahal of all places).
"Let loose the Kraken!"