How do we save endangered vultures while simultaneously preventing their collisions with aircraft in the Indian Sub-continent?

Vulture collisions with aircraft had brought loss of costly fighter aircraft, trained pilots and property on board and on ground between 1980 and 1996 bringing a financial loss of 300 crores of rupees or more every year to Indian aviation and the most recent air accident was a Helicopter crash presumably due to vulture collision in Katra on 23 Nov 2015, killing all the 7 people on board including the Pilot going to Vaishnodevi. Because of human persecution through shooting, poisoning (targeted and non-targeted for various reasons), trapping and various other causes vulture populations declined so fast since 1990 making them endangered species in India. Financial loss due vulture mortality and decline is also equally grave and threatening like the financial loss due to vulture collisions with aircraft. So there is a reasoned necessity to save these endangered scavenging birds in such strategic locations where humans in municipalities cannot carry out scavenging function especially when multitudes of animal carcasses and human corpses pose a severe threat to humanity in the aftermath of natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, tsunami, earthquakes as well as break out and spread of epidemics when vultures can come to man's rescue. Hence it is a reasoned necessity to save endangered vultures because of their indispensable role in ecosystems net work of Nature and simultaneously prevent vulture collisions with aircraft to save people, aircraft, and property in the most intelligent way.

How do we save endangered vultures while simultaneously preventing their collisions with aircraft in the Indian Sub-continent?

Setting up Vulture Restaurants in strategic locations far away from aerodromes(at least 100 km away) will be the best vulture conservation tool that keeps vultures tied to the feeding site without a thread thus minimizing vulture strike hazards to aircraft flight safety.

Vulture Restaurants (also known as Supplementary Feeding Sites for Vultures) provide uncontaminated food (large mammal carcasses in necessary quantity as well as bone chips as calcium supplement and water to drink and bathe) to vultures in an enclosure that provides safety while feeding, resting, drinking and bathing which is not available in nature. Moreover, it gives freedom to the birds to visit the feeding site whenever they want, allows them to fly where ever and whenever they want thus respecting the principles of animal welfare and environmental ethics. As confinement and handling of birds as in captive-holding and captive-breeding centres are not there, there is no fear psychosis or imprinting or health problems for vultures. Moreover, this conservation tool respects all norms of animal ethics, health and welfare. Population of vultures can be controlled to an optimum size by managing the quantity of food provided in the form of carcasses. Photography of and studies on vultures can be done using hides so that the birds in enclosure are not affected by the human activities. Vulture restaurants can be used for awareness purposes on species conservation and bird collisions with aircraft and as a tool for research for school and college students. This can be an excellent tourist attraction. After two to three years of setting up the vulture restaurant, the system can become self-sustaining and no more external funding will be required if a small entry fee is administered to use the system by outsiders. As this project provides employment for at least two people, one Junior Research Fellow (JRF) and an Assistant, large number of Vulture Restaurants set up all over India in strategic locations can help provide employment for some people. When food given to vultures is controlled their numbers can be easily controlled to an optimum population size, provided carcasses are denied in all other localities with strict implementation existing rules and regulations and making new ones by Aviation Regulator (DGCA) and Ministries of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Defence prioritizing aviation safety. When food is provided regularly at one site vultures need not forage far and wide in 100 km in radius or in over 30,000 sq km, as they do when food availability is not guaranteed and thus they are tied to the feeding site without a thread. As this project is happening in a rural set up, ideally on the outskirts of a Protected Area (a carnivore sanctuary) and in front of villagers they become part of the vulture conservation endeavour thus making it a people’s programme. As vultures confine themselves to the area on their own as food is regularly provided, the aerodrome areas are spared by them thus reducing vulture collisions with aircraft. But to achieve cent percent aviation safety from the angle of vulture collisions on aircraft, Civic Authorities including the Police Department, villagers, aerodrome officials, and all other aviation stakeholders have to work together not to allow dumping of animal carcasses in all areas 100 km in radius of all aerodromes for which new rules and regulations have to be made. Vulture restaurants not run scientifically and not following precautions have to be closed down. Vulture Restaurants have o be thoroughly monitored continuously not to become a flight safety hazard and not to enhance vulture populations above optimum (200-400 in any area). Responsible organizations and experts have to be identified who can set up, monitor and control vulture populations and use Vulture Restaurants wisely and judiciously for the benefit of mankind.

Vultures are not required in cities, towns and villages where an efficient municipality carries out the scavenging function of disposing carcasses of animals and birds. In strategic locations where natural calamities such as earthquake, cyclones, tsunami, deluge / flood or outbreak of a contagious disease kill large number of domestic and wild animals and disposal of innumerable carcasses becomes a difficult task for the municipal authorities vultures, the God-sent scavenging experts, come to man’s rescue by consuming all carcasses even from gorges and ravines (non-motorable paths), Thus they prevent outbreak and spread of communicable diseases of cattle such as foot-and-mouth disease and anthrax and thus save man and other animals from agony and death. In fact vultures and other scavenging birds and animals are the life and health insurance policies taken by Nature to save the entire planet from extinction. So it becomes the duty of man as the highest evolved animal on this planet to save it through conservation of vultures and other scavengers first. Hence conserving vultures far away from aerodromes through setting up a chain of vulture restaurants all over the Indian Sub-continent helps us in many ways as given below:

1.    To save these indispensable scavenging raptors in natural settings, thus providing a chance to save our planet and keep it healthy and energetic with all ecosystem networks working well

2.    To reduce vulture aircraft collisions by tying these soaring scavenging raptors to their regular feeding site eliminating all other artificial feeding sites (carcass dumps) where carcass utilisation centres can convert meat in to chicken feed and bone meal instead f enhancing population of vultures and exacerbating vulture hazard to aircraft

3.    To use vulture restaurants as an educational, awareness and research tool and facility for villagers, students and university researchers

4.    To use Vulture restaurants as Tourist attraction and generate finances to make the system self-sustaining

5.    There is no need to keep vultures in Zoos or keeping their skins in museums when one gets to see and study them in vulture restaurants through hides placed in front of them without disturbing their daily activities. This can also help us study other scavenging and raptorial birds as well as migratory birds that visit this feeding site

6.   Vultures need to boost their immunity against diseases periodically and this they can achieve only by consuming carcasses of animals that died of contagious diseases caused by various pathogens. Hence such carcasses can be given to them at the restaurant but not carcasses of animals washed or laced with insecticides and other poisons.

A Humble Appeal from Dr S M Satheesan, India's leading Airport BASHM and Aircraft bird strike Prevention Expert Consultant, Mumbai. Support my appeal if you like and share so that others can understand the gravity of the problem now prevailing and sensitize our Government authorities so that they can take intelligent decisions that can be executed in a smart way benefiting India and her citizens.

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