Bird lovers, we have some good news for you — the Vulture restaurant in Himachal is becoming a hot-spot for finding the mighty birds. That’s not all, eight out of world’s 16 vulture species have been spotted here. By Kumar Shree
Humans and animals have learned to become more compassionate and loving towards one another over the years. One can see this, especially, in case of pets. While cats, dogs, and horses, for that matter, used to be pet animals for the longest time, the list has grown significantly to fit in birds, fish, rats, guinea pigs, bunnies, and many more. Add to that the list of growing animal cafes, hotels and spas, and it’ll help you establish the growing camaraderie between animals and humans.
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While there’s a positive side to it, the same has also led to unwanted human interference in the animal kingdom. This comes in the form of urbanisation at a neck-breaking pace, deforestation, disintegrating climate, and habitat destruction for personal or industrial benefit. The result — many animal and birds have gone extinct, while many others have entered the list of endangered species, waiting for their cruel fate.
The mighty vulture is one of the latter species. However, thanks to this unique Vulture restaurant in Himachal Pradesh, things are seemingly taking a better turn for these birds. The Vulture restaurant sitting in the Sukharna village of Kangra district was established by the wildlife wing of the state forest department. It sprawls over 10,000 sq m. and has become popular among the locals for its efforts towards vulture conservation. The locals can also drop in any dead animal or livestock, as food, for these vultures between 10 am to 4 pm.
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Ever since the restaurant was established in 2008, the counting of vultures has improved significantly. What, in 2004, had only 26 remaining vulture nests with 23 baby vultures in the Pongdam wetland area, in 2019, has 387 nests carrying 352 baby vultures. It has also boosted the participation of the local community, which happily contributes to the conservation process.
Related: In Love With Flora & Fauna? Head To These Wildlife Hotspots In India
