WILDLIFE NURSING RARE BIRD BACK TO HEALTH : Vulture find inspires conservation fund

WILDLIFE NURSING RARE BIRD BACK TO HEALTH : Vulture find inspires conservation fund.

JULAWAN DOLOH

A rare cinereous vulture recently found in Thailand has inspired a project to breed and conserve local species of vulture feared to be close to extinction. Krissana Kaewplang, of the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST), said bird experts and conservationists have set up the Fly the Vulture Home Fund to raise 700,000 baht for nursing the frail vulture back to health.

The rare, black cinereous vulture, or Aegypius monachus, is believed to have been migrating from either South Korea or Mongolia and strayed off course into Thailand.

An adult black vulture is one of the largest flying birds in the world. It is about a metre long and 12.5kg in weight, with a wingspan of about 2.7 metres, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Since its capture, conservationists have started a project to breed and conserve local species of vultures.

Of the total money, 200,000 baht will be spent on helping the vulture restore its flying capabilities. The bird will be checked for avian flu before being sent for a one-month flight practice course in the compound of Kasetsart University's Kamphaeng Saen Campus in Nakhon Pathom.

About 300,000 baht will be set aside for the purchase of a satellite-controlled global positioning system device to track the bird and 200,000 baht for the transport cost for shipping the bird back to its native habitat by air.

Veterinarian Chaiyant Kesorndokbua, of Kasetsart University's faculty of veterinary medicine, said the bird was found at tambon Thab Sai in Chanthaburi's Soi Dao district on Jan 3.

''When it was first discovered, it weighed only 6kg, looking skinny and unhealthy. It was unable to sit on a perch,'' he said.

He said public donations are welcome for the fund which will be used for breeding of vultures of local species in captivity.

Veterinarian Kaset Sutecha, of the same university, who checked the bird's health, said the black vulture is rarely found in the wild in Thailand.

He said the male bird, aged about 2 years, was not carrying any diseases. It was weak and fell from the sky because of a lack of food and water, he said.

Kawin Chutima, BCST president, said black vultures are an endangered species, with a population of about 20,000 worldwide.

''Finding a vulture in Thailand is good news. Several species including Red-headed Vultures and White-rumped Vultures were a common sight in Thailand 40 years ago. They are believed to have become extinct,'' Mr Kawin said, adding that vultures should not be seen as a symbol of bad luck, according to old Thai beliefs.

Actually, the feathered friends are significant in the environment and the food chain, since they help get rid of decaying matter, which could be breeding grounds for diseases harmful to humans.

Bangkok Post
Monday January 15, 2007