Endangered Asian vulture species are making a comeback thanks to an innovative restaurant chain across Cambodia that’s become the place to be seen for discerning consumers of carrion.
Called simply “vulture restaurants,” the eateries have been open since 2004 and, six years later, address the main threat to three species of vultures in Cambodia: limited food availability.
Uncontrolled hunting of wild animals is cited as one reason for the vulture’s lack of food. Tighter controls by farmers over livestock that used to roam freely, is another.
DECIMATED
In India, the same vulture species have been decimated by the drug diclofenac, used to keep livestock healthy, but toxic to the birds feeding on the carcasses.
The vulture restaurants were set up by three conservation groups — Birdlife International, the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Birdlife International says the population of the main three Gyps vulture species in parts of south Asia fell by more than 95 percent in just three years in the 1990s and are classified as critically endangered.
FOOD
Initially, one of the major problems was that scientists were unable to work out what was causing them to die off, but now that they’ve realized that their food was the issue, the vulture restaurants have helped redress the decline.
“The vultures are near extinction and we are trying to preserve them by giving them dead cows or buffalos each month,” said Net Norin, a staff member of Birdlife International.
The animal carcasses are left at certain sites for the vultures to feed on. Each site is supervised by rangers who monitor the vultures’ progress each month.
And these rangers say they’ve seen an increase in the number of vultures since the preservation project began six years ago, with 286 birds in June last year, up from 140 in 2004.
“The numbers have increased and the villagers received a lot of knowledge about preserving the vultures because they see more and more tourists coming to visit this area, which they benefit from,” Pich Bunnat from the Wildlife Conservation Society said.
The vultures’ nesting colonies are also protected, with local community members receiving a payment at the end of each month if vultures’ nests remain active.
DECLINE
The vulture population across south Asia has been in decline for decades.
In India, the decline is largely attributed to diclofenac, used in mammals as an analgesic and antipyretic but which is toxic to vultures.
The drug, however, is not used in Cambodia, which conservationists believe will give them a boost in their attempts to preserve the three main species — the white-rumped vulture, the slender-billed vulture and the red-headed vulture.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
RELEASE: The move follows Washington’s removal of Havana from its list of terrorism sponsors. Most of the inmates were arrested for taking part in anti-government protests Cuba has freed 127 prisoners, including opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer, in a landmark deal with departing US President Joe Biden that has led to emotional reunions across the communist island. Ferrer, 54, is the most high-profile of the prisoners that Cuba began freeing on Wednesday after Biden agreed to remove the country from Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors — part of an eleventh-hour bid to cement his legacy before handing power on Monday to US president-elect Donald Trump. “Thank God we have him home,” Nelva Ortega said of her husband, Ferrer, who has been in and out of prison for the
RSS