Guwahati: The carcasses of three Himalayan vultures were recovered in a field at Chayygaon under Kamrup district of Assam on Thursday.
According to reports, the vultures were found dead at a field near Nowamati village in Chayygaon.
While the deaths of three vultures were confirmed, one of them is reportedly in critical condition. The vultures’ deaths are suspected to have been caused by poisoning, however, the exact cause will be ascertained after post-mortem.
Meanwhile, forestry officials arrived at the spot to assess the situation.
According to several reports, farmers frequently combine pesticides in the corpse of a goat or a cow in order to kill canines that pose a threat to livestock, but unintentionally poison vultures as a result.
“Furadan is a commonly used pesticide which has been used in this case. It is used to kill pests like insects and rodents and is very lethal. In this case, they mixed the poison in the carcass of the goat, intending to kill dogs,” said scientist Sachin Ranade who manages the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre at Rani.
“Dogs attacking livestock is a complex problem but trying to poison the dogs is certainly not the way out. If they want action to be taken against dogs, then they should contact the municipal authorities. What they have done here is both cruel and illegal,” he added.