Nandankanan Moves To Save Endangered Vultures

Bhubaneswar:7/8/17:After lying dysfunctional for a decade, the vulture breeding and conservation centre in Nandankanan Zoological Park near Bhubaneswar is all set to take off shortly following Central Zoo Authority (CZA)’s intervention.

The plan for the ambitious centre-funded project to conserve the endangered vulture species had got underway in 2006-07. Construction of a nursery-cum-quarantine aviary for vultures has already come to an end. But the aviary enclosures remained deserted over the years as there were no signs of vultures. The breeding centre was ready to house vultures way back in 2011, but the zoo had failed to procure the species for variety of reasons.

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) had earlier taken the initiative for conservation breeding of 21 endangered species in zoological parks across the country. Six zoos in the country including at Nandankanan on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar city had been identified for breeding and conservation of threatened vultures. The Nandankanan Zoological Park had been sanctioned Rs one crore by CZA. While park authorities have already spent Rs 70 lakh for raising of aviary enclosures for the vulture breeding centre, Rs 30 lakh still remained idle as vultures could not be procured.

However the project stalemate has now been put to rest with arrival of a dozen of vulture guests at the breeding centre now a certainty. We were left with two options to procure vulture either from the wild or from the operation vulture conservation centres. But the prevailing predicament has now been resolved. The CZA has directed the authorities of Gandhi Zoological Park, Gwalior to provide 12 rescued long billed vultures to Nandankanan Biological Park (NBP), said Director NBP Sisir Acharya.