While vulture population is considered near extinct in the country, a pack of vultures came into sight in the sky over Saranda forest in West Singhbhum district on Sunday.
The species of winged scavengers that came to the notice of bird watchers was White- rumped vulture and has been spotted at Jaraikela thana area of Saranda forest, about 180 kms away from here.
Revealing about the phenomenal sightings of the vultures. wildlife expert Raja Ghosh said that as many as three White-rumped vultures were sighted in the sky over the dense forest cover of Saranda.
"Vultures are extinct from the state and also from the neighbouring Bengal and Odisha. But a pack of three-four vultures was sighted in the sky over Saranda forest today, " said Ghosh while talking to The Telegraph Online.
The wildlife activist who is posted in the Dalma forest division stated that the species of the vulture was determined by an amateur bird watcher Prasanjeet Sarkar who was accompanied him during a bird watching mission in Saranda on Sunday.
He explained exactly why did the vultures' population dwindled from the country, but few of them still present in a place like Saranda.
"Vultures are known for feasting on caracas, especially that of cows and buffalos. The vets used to prescribe a specific injection -- Diclofenac -- to the ailing bovine. On being administered with this injection, the cows and buffalos used to get cured fast but when such bovine would naturally die, the caracas of such bovine would turn poisonous. As the vultures used to feast on the bovine caracas, they started dying," explained Ghosh.
He pointed out as Saranda is far away from the human habitat, the vultures which would live on the caracas found in that dense forest area, they might have survived. Ghosh pointed out that after finding out that the Diclofenac was the reason behind the death of vultures, the government of India banned it for veterinary use in the year 2008.