Vulture Nests Under Protection

Researchers just discovered Southeast Asia's only known breeding colony of slender-billed vultures in the remote forests of Cambodia.

Found in heavily forested country just east of the Mekong River, the colony also represents one of the only known slender-billed vulture nesting areas in the world, and therefore one of the last chances for recovery for the species, now listed as "Critically Endangered" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

"We discovered the nests on top of a hill where two other vulture species were also found, one of which--the white-rumped vulture--is also 'Critically Endangered'," said Song Chansocheat, manager of the Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project. "Amazingly, there were also a host of other globally threatened species of birds and primates. It's a very special place."

Chansocheat's team immediately set up 24-hour protection measures against poaching and egg collecting, and are now working with local communities to ensure that they are involved in--and support--longer-term conservation measures.

The slender-billed vulture is one of several vulture species in Asia that have been driven to the brink of extinction across its entire range due to Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used for cattle that is highly toxic to vultures.

Diclofenac has lead to global population declines as high as 99 percent in slender-billed and other vulture species. The drug is now being slowly phased out in South Asia, but not at a pace that assures the recovery of the vultures.

The birds are also endangered from other threats, such as a lack of food due to the over-hunting of large-bodied mammals, loss of habitat, and sometimes direct hunting.

---LiveScience Staff

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Credit: Wildlife Conservation Society