5 months ago
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The Tamil Nadu Forest section has informed the Madras High Court of having begun the process of establishing Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) successful the State successful bid to make a harmless situation for the taxon that is escaped from threats, particularly the usage of toxic veterinary non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), similar diclofenac, utilized to dainty cattle, which person been a large origin of vulture mortality.
In a presumption study placed earlier the archetypal Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden (PCCF-cum-CWC) Rakesh Kumar Dogra said, the archetypal of the VSZs would beryllium established astir Moyar River Valley successful the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve arsenic per the ‘Vision Document for Vulture Conservation (VDVC) successful Tamil Nadu 2025-30’.
The presumption study was filed successful effect to a nationalist involvement litigation (PIL) petition filed by Vandalur-based K. Surya Kumar, done his counsel S.P. Chockalingam, to prevention the carrion-eating vultures, which were facing wide deaths and near-extinction, chiefly owed to the beingness of NSAIDS successful the carcass they provender upon. Mr. Dogra said, strict vigil would beryllium kept to forestall the usage of the banned NSAIDS by veterinarians to dainty cattle.
He said, a field-level monitoring committee chaired by the Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) had already been constituted for establishing the VSZs and that it would comprise the territory wood officers of the Nilgiris, Gudalur, Coimbatore, and Erode, too the lawman directors of MTR successful Masinagudi and Udhagamandalam arsenic good arsenic the lawman directors of Anamalai and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves.
The committee would besides dwell of a typical from Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) successful Vandalur. “Necessary instructions person been issued to the supra committee to instrumentality enactment and to make and taxable a map, duly marking the vulture nesting and situation usage sitesm and for monitoring carcass hotspots, which conscionable our conditions for declaring an country arsenic a Vulture Safe Zone,” Mr. Dogra told the court.
He besides said: “The committee volition enactment successful spot a strategy for taking samples of carcasses and get them analysed for the intent of uncovering traces of the banned NSAIDs, too organising inspection of the retailers with the assistance of the Drugs Controller for taking ineligible action. A 100-km radius astir the Moyar vulture nesting colonisation volition beryllium monitored for 2 years and technological information volition beryllium generated.”
The presumption report, filed done State Government Pleader A. Edwin Prabakar, further read: “A sampling of astir 800 carcasses volition beryllium done during this play for investigating the prevalence of the banned NSAIDs. Similar enactment would besides bе requested from the neighboring States of Karnataka and Kerala. A circumstantial petition would beryllium sent to them aft a elaborate mapping is done by the committee.”
After taking the presumption study connected record and perusing the VDVC 2025-30 prepared by the AIWC, the Chief Justice’s Bench granted clip till February 2, 2026, to Mr. Chockalingam to spell done the documents and marque suggestions, if any.
