Maharashtra will soon have its first vulture breeding and conservation facility, which will be situated at Pingori, around 60 kilometers from Pune. In order to construct this facility, the Ela Foundation and the Maharashtra Forest Department have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The director of Ela Foundation and renowned ornithologist Dr. Satish Pande emphasized the vital significance of vultures from an ecological perspective. Numerous vulture species are in danger of going extinct, and these birds are subject to a variety of dangers. International Vulture Awareness Day, which is marked on the first Saturday in September, falls on the same day as this development.
Ela Foundation was chosen by the state Forest Department to establish and run the center due to its ornithological competence, experience with the conservation of seriously endangered vulture species in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and publication of scholarly publications on the topic.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) action plan for vulture conservation in India (2020–2025) is in accordance with this strategy. While the main objective of the Vulture Conservation Breeding Center (VCBC) is to breed critically endangered vultures, it will also contribute to in-situ vulture conservation activities, taking advantage of the capacities and infrastructure built up over time.
The Viloo C Poonawalla Hospital for Wildlife (transit treatment center) already resides in Ela Habitat, a field station of Ela Foundation, where the new center will be located. The launch is slated for this coming Saturday.
The Vulture Multi-Species Action Plan highlights how important it is for vultures to dispose of carcasses and organic waste in an efficient manner in order to preserve ecosystem health. The conservation of vultures is important for both economic and ecological reasons since their absence can cause delayed decomposition of carcasses, increasing the danger of disease for humans, domestic animals, and other creatures.