Ramanagaram’s Sholay Rocks to home first vulture sanctuary of India

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The ‘Sholay Rocks’ of Ramanagaram will now have the first vulture sanctuary in the country.

About 22 sqkm area in and around the Ramadevarabetta Reserve Forests (RRF) in Ramanagaram has now been notified as the Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary. About 15 of the last surviving vultures of this species in South India live in the cliffs of ‘Sholay’ in Ramanagaram situated about 50 km from here on the Bengaluru-Mysore Road.

The Long-billed Vulture has a bald head, very broad wings and short tail feathers, and is found only in Ramanagaram in South India.

A senior forest officer from Ramangaram Division told Deccan Chronicle that necessary steps will soon be taken to implement rules that apply to wildlife sanctuaries. The Vulture Sanctuary will cover the Ramadeverabetta Reserve Forest (RRF) which is spread across five square kilometres and has nine cliffs, as well as the adjoining rocks and scrub jungle.

“There are reports of sighting more Long-billed Vultures on the cliffs situated on the southern side of RRF. We have been able to sight between 12-15 Long-billed Vultures on the cliffs. During morning hours the vultures set out for foraging and evenings are the best times to sight them when they roost in the high altitude cliffs,” the officer explained.

Ornithologists in Bengaluru say the notification is a “much needed protection measure” for the last surviving vulture population in the country. Bird expert M. B. Krishna said that recently bird lovers were jubilant after sighting a Long-billed Vulture chick with its mother on the cliffs of Ramanagaram.

“The department must undertake a fresh survey to identify the hillocks in Ramangaram where the population of Long-billed Vultures could exist. There are reports of sighting them elsewhere around Ramanagaram, and such reports must be checked,” Mr Krishna said.

The forest department plans to cut down the present rock climbing activities on the cliffs where the vultures are found. “There are a number of rappelling rocks in Ramanagaram and we will restrain any kind of non-forestry activity on the cliffs where vultures are roosting. We shall allow visitors to walk along the habitat of vultures, watch them and learn about them,” said the forest official.

Vultures have become almost extinct in India mostly due to ingesting the drug diclofenac from the carcasses of dead cattle which were given this pain killer. The drug causes kidney failure in several species of vultures.