Population of vultures soar at Uttar Pradesh's Amangarh Tiger Reserve

Adorning Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district for a decade now, the Amangarh Tiger Reserve opened its gates for tourists last week. The tiger reserve (TR) is in news again, with its vulture population soaring high. The conservation efforts to protect the predatory birds deemed, evidently, fruitful and have resulted in a surge in number of vultures from 141 in 2021 to 165 this year at the wilderness paradise.

In a survey conducted on November 18, 143 Griffon vultures with 22 baby vultures were sighted. Vultures have been included in the 'near threatened' category of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Even though they reportedly have a stable population, the scavenger population showed an overall downfall.

Bijnor divisional forest officer Anil Kumar Patel informed, "A three-day census was carried out from November 16 to 18, which revealed 143 Griffin vultures and 22 baby vultures in Amangarh Tiger Reserve area as compared to 141 sighted in the 2021 survey."

With the onset of the winters, the birds of prey usually move to West Uttar Pradesh wetlands with the Amangarh Tiger Reserve being one of their cynosures, owing to the high number of carcasses of herbivores present here. Due to the cruel temperatures at the high Himalayas, the birds descend to the plains during the cold seasons.

The Amangarh Tiger Reserve, with some 27 tigers, a population of elephants, leopards, bears, swamp deer, also has a list of adventures planned for the visitors and a host of activities that they can engage in.

Located approximately 405 kms from Lucknow, and 432 kms from Kanpur, explore through the myriad of fun stuff from jungle safaris and elephant rides to camping and trekking, on a getaway weekend!