Dharamshala, Sept. 27 -- The quiet hills of Kangra, supports a substantial population of critically endangered White-rumped Vultures estimated at approximately 1,377 individuals, reveals a new study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). The study has also flagged some threats to the population along with recommending safeguard measures. The study, funded by the Union ministry of environment forest and climate change, was carried out from 2020 to 2024, by researcher Malyasri Bhattacharya and project assistant Manoj Kumar. The project was supervised by Gautam Talukdar, a scientist at WII. The overarching objective of the study was to promote the area for future regulatory action and achieve designation as a Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ). "Kangra hosts 36 feeding sites managed by locals, complementing three forest department stations. These sites, traditionally maintained by local communities, provide essential food. However, urbanisation, changes in land use, and a decline in livestock numbers have reduced open carcass disposal areas by approximately 85% since 1991. Mitigation involves establishing new, safe dumping sites in forest lands away from human habitation and providing financial support to local carcass handlers to ensure a continuous food supply. They are directly linked to vulture conservation," said Malyasri Bhattacharya, who was a PhD scholar at WII and has submitted her thesis. The report which was recently submitted to the state's forest department has also indicated some of the major threats faced by the vulture population in Kangra's Pong Dam area and has recommended stronger safeguards. The study, conducted from December 2020 to March 2024, utilised various methodologies, including movement tracking, climatic niche modelling, and threat assessments, to identify key areas for conservation. The report also stated that electrocution has emerged as a significant threat, particularly near feeding stations. Surveys recorded the deaths of more than 11 vultures from 2021-2024 due to electrocution, concentrated in high-risk areas like Meira and Jassur. Mitigation measures recommended include insulating high-risk power lines, installing bird flight diverters, and relocating carcass dumping sites away from dangerous transmission lines. "Vulture habitats face risks from forest fires, logging, and alterations in land use. Mitigation includes early fire detection, establishing firebreaks and planting fire-resistant vegetation around nesting sites. Threats also arise from resin tapping on preferred nesting trees," she added. The report has urged the state forest department and the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) to safeguard vulture populations through protection of nesting sites, preservation of old-growth forests, and policy changes aimed at designating Kangra district as a Vulture Safe Zone. The researchers shared that to understand their spatial dynamics, five wild White-rumped Vultures (four adults and one sub-adult) were satellite tagged from Kangra in 2021. This represented the first wild WRV tracking from northern India. The tagged individuals exhibited movements extending to Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistan border near Punjab, and Uttarakhand. Movement analysis revealed an average home range (95% aKDE) of 3,619 sq km for non-breeding individuals and 1,159 sq km for breeding individuals. Three tagged vultures were confirmed to have nested in Kangra sites like Dolba and Lapiana between 2021 and 2024. After the previous doctoral work on conservation of vultures in Kangra, Malyasri Bhattacharya is now continuing the study with The Habitat Trust and Zoological Society London's (ZSL) EDGE programme....