Newly discovered Cambodian vulture colony raises hope for species

Feb 7, 2007, 10:30 GMT

Phnom Penh - Researchers working in Cambodia hailed on Wednesday the discovery of the only known colony of endangered slender-billed vultures in the region as new hope for the critically endangered species.

Tom Clements, technical adviser for the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia, said a team coordinated by his group made the discovery while working on a survey in a number of provinces. It found a colony of up to 100 birds in remote Steung Treng province on the Laos border.

Other species discovered in the area during the Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project survey included the critically endangered white-rumped vulture. A red-headed vulture and a giant ibis were among the other species recorded.

'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,' survey manager Song Chansocheat said in a statement. 'Amazingly, there were also a host of other globally threatened species of birds and primates. It's a very special place.'

How special was outlined by Clements. 'Populations of at least three vulture species have declined by more than 97 per cent globally since the 1990s and are now declining at around 50 per cent per year,' he said of white-rumped, slender-billed and long-billed vultures.

He said the cause of this dramatic decline was discovered to be the veterinary drug diclofenac, which was killing the birds feeding on cattle carcasses where farm animals were treated with the anti-inflammatory and pain reliever, which as now been banned in most countries. The toll on the birds has been particularly devastating in India.

'In India, they are now catching the vultures to put them in breeding centres while diclofenac is removed from the environment,' Clements said. 'The slender-billed is the rarest of the three species. So far, they have only managed to catch 23 birds for the breeding centres.'

'The Cambodian population is estimated at around 50 to 100 individuals,' he added. 'The colony found is the only known breeding site in South-East Asia and is essential for their long-term survival here in the wild.'

Clements said Cambodia was a last bastion for many species because its turbulent recent history had delayed the rampant development that has destroyed habitats and made rare species accessible to poachers in neighbouring countries.

He added that diclofenac is not available in Cambodia, giving vultures excellent chances of long-term survival in the wild there.

The survey is a government project supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife, World Wildlife Fund, Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.