IN SEARCH OF VULTURES
Date:
November 09, 2012
Dr. Asad
Rahmani, the Director of BNHS, spoke vehemently about the status of the
vultures in the country and the need to conserve their last known abodes. It
was the winter of 2005 in the workshop of the Indian Bird Conservation Network
in Mollem, Goa. We listened with apt attention and focus to what he had to say.
At the back of my mind, the image of vultures gliding over the Goa Meat Complex
courtyard in Usgao was vivid and I understood why we did not see them anymore.
A small intervention by man in the form of a veterinary drug-diclofenac-had
spelt doom for these majestic masters of the skies.
I and Pankaj had
also documented a colony of nesting Long-billed Vultures (Gyps indicus) in the Chorla Ghat on the border of 3 states of
Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. These vultures nested on the cliff from where
the imposing twin-waterfalls of Vajrasakala cascaded down. The only vantage
point to observe them was the opposite cliff way beyond the reach of any
binocular or spotting-scope. The white dropping of the birds on the cliff rocks
was the only evidence of their nesting. The only way to know for sure the
number of active nests was to trek to the top of the waterfall and get a closer
look.
Finally the day
arrived when I, Pankaj, Nitesh and Sanket decided to enter the gorge of the River
Valvanti, the source of the twin waterfall. Early morning we set out for what
was to be the toughest trek of my life and one in which we risked limbs and
lives to get up & close to the nesting vultures.
The entire trek
was through the river bed, negotiating water pools, slippery rocks, steep
slopes and deep gorges. Some were so tricky that a slip would end up with
broken limbs and in a manner for nobody to help you. All this negotiating was
done without any formal training of rock climbing or availability of gear. Our expedition
was based on sheer resolve and the only encouragement was to count the number
of active nests.
Over 2 ½ hours
of arduous trek brought us to the last leg of our journey to the top of the
waterfall. We realized that our best bet to observe the nesting vultures would
be to get on to the ledge jutting out between the two waterfalls. To accomplish
this we had to navigate a 1000 foot drop to the base of waterfall and a deep
gorge. How we managed to do it God alone knows and the plants of Karvi (Carvia callosa) which provided us the
much need support to hold on to our dear lives.
But once on the
ledge, the scene was spectacular. The landscape below was breathtaking and the
cool breeze rejuvenated our spirits. Vultures glided below effortlessly and it
was for the first time that I actually observed these giants glide below us. Some
were collecting nesting material for a total of 4 nests that we counted and a
total of 12 birds.
The journey back
was equally strenuous and at points we actually got to all our fours or clung
on to rock faces. By the time we reached the Wilderness Resort, from where we
had begun our journey, we were physically exhausted but our emotional state was
one of triumph. Every bone and muscle in our body longed for rest and replenishment.
That we had to travel another 70 odd kilometers to get back home on our
2-wheelers was not a very pleasant thought.
That night as I
& Nitesh slept in the comfort of our home, I experienced hallucinations for
the first and the last time in my life. I had illusions of falling from the
cliffs, slipping over rocks, missing my step and each time that happened I was
rudely awakened from sleep. Though my body longed to sleep my sub-conscious was
still wandering in the gorge of the Valvanti. The next morning I narrated my
experience to Nitesh, who had a hearty laugh but not before admitting that he
too had similar illusions.
We followed this
colony for over 4 years. Every monsoons they would migrate to escape the heavy
monsoons in the Ghats and arrive back at the end of monsoons to start nesting.
Every year their numbers dropped till 2009 when only one individual was
sighted. This data was shared with BNHS and Peregrine Fund hoping for some
conservation action on ground. No sign of the colony or
any individual since has been seen in the locality. We only hope against hope
that they have found a better place to breed and not met the fate that 99% of
vultures all over the sub-continent have met.
I & Nitesh
meanwhile documented 3 more colonies, one of White-backed Vultures (Gyps benghalensis) and 2 of Long-billed
Vultures in various parts of the neighbouring district of Sindhudurg in
Maharashtra. Goa on the other hand has lost all its vultures and every time I
see the Vajrasakala Waterfall, I am reminded about the last vultures that we
could call our own.