White-rumped Vulture: Habitat, Threats, Conservation & Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

Subject: GS 3: Environment

Context: Recently, a captive-bred, radio-tagged white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) that was released earlier this year at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu was electrocuted.

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About White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)

• The White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) is a resident Old World vulture native to the Indian subcontinent and is among the most threatened scavenging birds in the world.
  • It was once India’s most abundant vulture species but has suffered a catastrophic population decline since the 1990s.
• Physical Characteristics: The species has a dark brown body, a contrasting white rump, a bare black head, and broad wings adapted for soaring flight.
  • It is a medium-sized colonial vulture that nests in tall trees and depends on thermal currents for long-distance gliding.
• Habitat: The White-rumped Vulture inhabits open forests, agricultural landscapes, grasslands, and areas close to human settlements where livestock carcasses are available.
  • In South India, the Mudumalai–Sathyamangalam–Bandipur–Wayanad landscape supports one of the last viable breeding populations.
• Diet: The species is an obligate scavenger that feeds almost exclusively on the carcasses of domestic and wild ungulates.
  • It rarely hunts live prey and plays a specialised role in rapidly disposing of dead animals.
• Ecological Role: White-rumped Vultures provide an essential ecosystem service by removing animal carcasses, preventing disease transmission, and maintaining ecological hygiene.
  • They reduce populations of scavengers such as feral dogs, thereby lowering the risk of zoonotic diseases like rabies and anthrax.
• Distribution: The species is distributed across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, and parts of Southeast Asia, although its range has significantly contracted.
• Major Threats (UPSC Prelims 2012)
  • Veterinary Drug Poisoning: The veterinary use of diclofenac and other toxic NSAIDs causes kidney failure in vultures after they consume contaminated livestock carcasses.
  • Power Infrastructure: Electrocution and collisions with power lines and transmission infrastructure have emerged as major causes of mortality in vulture habitats.
  • Other Threats: Habitat degradation, declining food availability, poisoning, and disturbance at nesting sites further threaten long-term population recovery.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN Red List: The White-rumped Vulture is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List.
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: The species is protected under Schedule I of the WPA 1972 providing the highest level of legal protection in India.
  • CITES: The species is listed under Appendix II of CITES, which regulates international trade.
• Conservation Measures
  • India has established Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres, Vulture Safe Zones, and banned veterinary diclofenac to facilitate population recovery.
  • Conservation agencies also promote bird diverters, insulated power lines, and safe carcass management to reduce human-induced mortality.

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