At a time when vulture numbers have dwindled to almost a point of no return in the last 15 years, the sighting of a king vulture by wildlife enthusiast and photographer Narayan Malu has thrilled city bird lovers.
Malu was on a morning safari with his friend Viraj Kadbe and guide Kailash when he sighted the bird perched on a tree around 10am.
Avid bird watcher Vinit Arora, who identified the pictures clicked by Malu, confirmed that it is a king vulture. "I've been visiting Bor regularly. But there is no record of vultures in Bor, not at least in the last 15 years. The presence of a king vulture is a big surprise," Arora told TOI.
Bor field director & chief conservator of forests (CCF) MS Reddy said, "I've not sighted the bird, but if it is true than it is the first record. I will have to verify the pictures. King vultures can be found in Pench, but never in Bor."
"I was delighted to spot the vulture," Malu, 27, told TOI. "I was generally trying to spot birds when a flapping of wings on a tree attracted my attention. It remained at the spot for around 90 seconds, enough time for me to capture a few pictures."
King vulture or Asian king vulture is a medium-sized bird of 76-86cm in length, weighing 3.5-6.3kg. It has a prominent naked head: Deep-red to orange in the adult, paler red in the juvenile. It has a black body with pale grey band at the base of the flight feathers. The males have a pale whitish iris while in females it is dark brown.
Over the past decade wildlife enthusiasts are crying themselves hoarse that the stately vulture is vanishing from the Indian skies and flying towards extinction. "The sighting of a king vulture in Bor has raised some hopes," says Arora, who said that the vulture may have been flapping its wings to keep itself warm in the cold weather.
Contrary to popular belief, vultures play a vital role in the environment. They are called nature's own disposal squads by feeding on rotting carcasses. Their scavenging habits are an important link in checking and containing spread of infectious diseases among animals and even human beings.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Viraj Kadbe,Vinit Arora,Narayan Malu,king vulture,Bor field director & chief
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