For vultures near Dehradun, 2.4 km separates survival from electrocution
A decade-long study near Dehradun, India, reveals that relocating a livestock carcass dump by 2.4 km significantly reduced vulture electrocutions. The findings highlight power infrastructure as a major, underreported threat to these endangered scavengers.
Why it matters
This demonstrates how simple, low-cost infrastructure adjustments can mitigate human-wildlife conflict and protect endangered species.
Poisoning, veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), food scarcity, and habitat loss remain survival challenges for vultures in India.
A decade-old study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa , suggests that moving a livestock carcass dump 2.4 km away near Uttarakhand’s Dehradun may have saved these large scavengers from another existential threat—electrocution.
The authors of the study are Javed Anver, Yash Vardhan Singh Sengar, Bikash Ghimire, Vonchano Ngullie, Hemam Rama Nanda, Tashi P. Dorji, Ankit Sharma, Akshay Jain, Sas Biswas, Arun Kumar, and M. Muzahed.
Vultures are among the most threatened birds globally, having undergone severe population declines across Asia and Africa due to multiple anthropogenic pressures. According to the study, electrocution from power infrastructure has been the most underreported threat.
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