Ramadevara Betta: Inside India's first and only vulture sanctuary

First, let us flesh out some data.

In the 1980s, India had over 4 crore vultures gliding over the sky, swooping down and devouring carrion. By 2000, the numbers plummeted to near zero. From a ubiquitous bird to almost a cul-de-sac point, the fall was so fast that few noticed it.

Alarmed, a group of passionate researchers at Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) started a long conservation process to revive the raptors from the brink of extinction. What triggered such a drastic fall in numbers in a decade or so is another story altogether (more of it later).

Thanks to persistent conservation efforts, slowly and steadily, the number of scraggy vultures across the country is picking up. Last counted, the number is around 30,000, but it’s not enough.

Karnataka shows the way

Talk about conservation, Karnataka has done what no other state in India has: in 2012, it declared Ramadevara Betta, a rocky, hilly terrain between Bengaluru and Mysuru, as a dedicated vulture sanctuary, the country’s only such reserve. Five years later, it was elevated to an eco-sensitive zone.

Karnataka has also set up a vulture breeding centre, the first in South India, although it is yet to take off. Just for the record, Karnataka is home to four of India's nine vulture species: the long-billed, white-rumped, red-headed, and Egyptian vulture.

On the first Saturday of every September, International Vulture Awareness Day is celebrated and to mark the day and raise awareness about raptors, the Karnataka Forest Department and the Karnataka Vulture Conservation Trust conducted a 'Nature Walk and Vulture Observation' event on Saturday (September 13).

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So here we are, a motley crowd of researchers, wildlife enthusiasts, and biologists, at Ramadevara Betta, around 60 km from Bengaluru, looking for now-elusive vultures on a trek that began at 6:30 am.

Where vultures come to nest, roost

So why Ramadevara Betta? It offers a unique ecosystem tailor-made for vultures. The sheer cliffs, ledges and crevices provide ideal nesting and roosting sites, while the surrounding scrub forests are ideal for foraging.

The sanctuary is home to at least two species of vultures: the critically endangered Long-Billed Indian Vulture and the Egyptian Vulture. But forest department officials and conservationists say only a pair of Long-billed Indian Vultures have been seen there permanently in the last few years, while others, such as the Himalayan Griffon and Eurasian Griffon Vulture, fly in during winter, unable to tolerate extreme cold in their habitats.

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Given the existential context and relevance, even a pair is a significant number. Quite fascinatingly, the vultures use this region only for nesting activities and they fly away to presumably Bandipur and Nagarahole forests for food. Since vultures lay only one egg a year, they prefer these hillocks with cliffs and crevices, to keep it safe from prying eyes and hungry predators.

’Ramadevara Betta is one of the rarest locations where vultures come to nest and roost. At a young age, they fly away to nearby or faraway locations. In adulthood, they return here because it is considered the safest. Even migratory vultures, such as the Himalayan Griffon, come here for the same reason. In 2012, we had six long-billed vultures and 16 Egyptian vultures. For the last few years, we have spotted only a pair. A chick was hatched two years ago, and it flew off. Probably, it will come back here as an adult, when it is ready for courtship,’’ M Ramakrishnappa, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Ramanagara), told The Federal.

In 2023, the same day, enthusiasts could not spot any vulture, and in 2024, two, and this year, just one.

Experts root for GPS tracking

Tracking the vultures here is a difficult task. International experts, such as Bengaluru-based Chris Bowden, who works for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK), have spent the last 12 years working on raptor conservation in Karnataka. They say that technological integration is a must for such critically endangered species.

"I must say India — Karnataka — is doing a fantastic job in saving vultures. It is fascinating to see so many people converging here as part of efforts to protect them. Ramanagara’s contribution is so significant in creating and keeping the natural habitat safe, but I think it’s time we moved to the next step of conservation to track and monitor them closely," Bowden told The Federal.

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"I know it is sensitive and tricky, but GPS tracking can be brought in so that we get to know more details. We need to know where they go, what they eat, and if at all they die, how and why,’’ he added with a disarming smile.

Bowden was keen to share his knowledge with anyone who joined the Vulture Walk.

Why vulture numbers nose-dived

It was Vibhu Prakash, then principal scientist with BNHS, who played a key role in identifying the cause of the catastrophic decline in India's vulture population. In the 1990s, he and his team at the BNHS documented a massive decrease in vulture numbers at Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan.

‘’The numbers are so high that no one noticed the drop in numbers. Since we were closely monitoring it, we knew something was playing havoc with vultures’ lives. Our guess was a virulent virus, but it was not. Closer studies over 2,000 locations took us to an unlikely cause: it was diclofenac, a veterinary medicine widely used as a painkiller for cattle,’’ Vibhu Prakash told The Federal.

For cattle, and even humans, diclofenac is a wonder drug, but for vultures, it’s a death knell. The diclofenac caused severe kidney failure in the vultures, leading to a condition known as visceral gout.

‘’Most birds that showed symptoms of visceral gout died within 10 to 15 days. Post-mortem of the birds revealed chalky white deposits on their organs, a key sign of the disease," Prakash told The Federal in a long telephonic conversation from Vadodara. Acting swiftly, the Centre banned the veterinary use of diclofenac in 2006, a major step in the revival of vultures.

Time to activate breeding centres

Prakash, referred to as India’s Vulture Man, says providing habitat is crucial and Ramadevara Betta is an ideal choice in that sense. But he says it is not enough.

‘Breeding centres are equally important. Across India, many conservation breeding centres exist, which are quite effective. We have a long way to go, but the results have been heartening. Compared to the South, the Gangetic Plains in the North were/are home to vultures, and that is where more action happens. I am aware that a breeding centre has been set up in Bengaluru,’’ he said.

The breeding centre in Bengaluru has not yet taken off despite multiple efforts from conservationists.

‘Yes, it was set up in 2022 and we had big plans, but sadly, it has not yet started working the way it should be. I am not sure about the latest update. It is better if the state government collaborates with proven and credible organisations like BNHS to take this project forward,’’ said Darshan CS, a wildlife biologist, part of Karnataka Vulture Conservation Trust, who has been conducting vulture awareness projects in Ramanagara for the last decade.

Another shining example of Ramanagara's armour is freelance photographer and avid birder Shashikumar B, who constantly monitors vultures and photographs them. Living close to the sanctuary, Shashikumar is also documenting the birds, wildlife, flora and fauna in the region and elsewhere. [The Federal has used some of his photographs].

Then there are grassroots sanctuary workers like Yogi and Muniya, who also do stellar work for raptor conservation. Among the people who spoke at the Vulture Awareness event on Saturday were Bharathidasan S of Arulagam, a Coimbatore-based nature conservation organisation, which works for vulture conservation in Tamil Nadu, and Sathyapramodh, a vulture researcher, based in Ramanagara.

But for conservationists, the vulture would have gone the cheetah way, notwithstanding our remarkable Tiger revival projects.

Why humans need vultures

Vultures save human lives by acting as nature's clean-up crew, primarily by preventing the spread of diseases like rabies. A study says at least 5 lakh people succumbed to diseases due to the decline in vultures.

In many parts of India, the decline of vultures has led to a population boom in other scavengers, most notably feral dogs. By consuming infected carcasses quickly, they prevent the pathogens from spreading into the soil, water, and air, which would pose a serious public health risk. Unlike vultures, these dogs are not immune to the diseases present in rotting carcasses. Be it sparrows or vultures, some of our fellow creatures are fast vanishing, but that loss is often lost in the urban sprawl. Their survival, unfortunately, depends on humans.

Only when you start looking, as they say, do you start seeing.

Also Read: Another Karnataka treasure