Sighting of critically-endangered White-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis (J.F. Gmelin, 1788) in Krusadai Island, Rameswaram, India

Abstract

The most adept scavengers in ecology, vultures, are on the edge of collapse. The Indian subcontinent has nine species of vultures, five of which belong to the genus Gyps and the others are the least impact. The White-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis, Long-billed vulture Gyps indicus, and Slender-billed Gyps tenuirostris vultures were originally and until lately the most numerous variety in India. Nevertheless, during the last ten, the abundance of these vultures has plummeted across the country. The current study reports Gyps bengalensis for the first time sighted in cauldrons on the desolate Krusadai Island, located south of Pamban Island in the Gulf of Mannar. The finding of the cauldron highlights the need for long-term research into the region to locate nesting places and aid conservation and management.