Carrion on the menu: Assam’s first vulture ‘restaurant’ coming up in Kulsi

Amingaon, July 24:  Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC), Rani will introduce vulture restaurant, an innovative concept, at Kulsi area in Kamrup district. The proposed restaurant will be an area where villagers can deposit animal carcasses to ensure a safe and toxin-free food source for the carrion eaters.

Sachin P Ranade, assistant director, BNHS-cum-senior centre manager of VCBC, Rani said, It will be the first of its kind in Assam which will be boon, both for wildlife and human.

Ranade also said that the proposed project will require two acres of land in such an area where people can have easy access to the site.

When vultures in large numbers gather at the site to devour carcasses, it will definitely attract wildlife enthusiasts. It will also help local people to get economic benefits directly or indirectly, Ranade said. He was interacting with this correspondent on the sideline of a vulture awareness meeting held at Kulsi.

Participating in the vulture awareness meeting held on Tuesday at Kulsi Janajatiya High School, Ranade highlighted on how such initiatives can promote eco-tourism and generate livelihood opportunities for local communities.

The vulture awareness meeting was jointly organized by the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC), Rani, Kamrup and the Kulsi Range Forest Office under Kamrup West Forest Division.

Representatives from the State forest department, local NGOs, Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) members, village headmen from the surrounding areas, and villagers from nearby areas attended the event where Jayanta Kumar Rabha, member, VCBC, Rani spoke on the contributions of the large scavenging bird in maintaining the ecological balance in the area.

Rabha gave a detailed presentation highlighting the key vulture species found in various parts of Assam the White-rumped Vulture (lower Assam), Slender-billed Vulture (upper Assam), and Red-headed Vulture (Kaziranga area). He also discussed on the migratory species such as the Himalayan Griffon, Eurasian Griffon, and Cinereous Vulture, along with other native species, including the Long-billed Vulture.

Elaborating on the major threats face by vultures these days, Rabha also spoke on the status of vultures in Assam and in other parts of the country.

Kankanjyoti Kaushik, range officer, Kulsi reaffirmed the critical ecological role vultures play in natural carcass disposal, thereby preventing the spread of diseases. He also urged the villagers, who have a suitable open area, to support in establishment of the vulture restaurant and assured full cooperation from the State forest department in this regard.