Assam: 25 vultures found dead, 8 in critical condition in Sivasagar district

Bodies of around 25 vultures were in the Shivsagar district of Assam on Monday morning. The carcasses were spotted in a field by locals who informed the forest officials. Eight vultures are currently in critical condition.

Sivasagar (Assam): As many as 25 vultures were found dead under mysterious circumstances at a field in the Gorkush area of Assam's Sivasagar district on Monday morning. The forest officials reached the spot after the locals informed them. Eight other vultures were found in critical condition and have been administered first aid.

It is suspected that the vultures fell ill after feeding on a cattle carcass which was found a few meters away from the spot. "The vultures had reportedly eaten a pesticide-laced cattle carcass which led to the death. The cause of the death will be revealed only after the postmortem reports. An investigation is underway," said a forest official.

School children found a sick rare Eurasian griffon vulture in Ranipet in Karnataka's Vijayanagara district last year in December. The bird has been released into the wild in January after being treated. Journalist and hobbyist photographer Sivashankar Banagar handed it over to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Zoological Park in Kamalapur in Hospet taluk.

During the rescue, the experts checked the bird's health and confirmed that it was a Eurasian griffon vulture. The vulture commonly found in North India migrates to South India and is sometimes seen suffering from dehydration.

The number of vultures has been dipping in the country. The census conducted by the Gujarat forest department showed that the number of vultures has come down to 300 in 2022 from 400 in 2018 despite the state government spending crores of Rupees to protect the birds.