THAILAND: Thai bird conservationists to send endangered black vulture back to Mongolia

An endangered black vulture found in Thailand has encouraged Thai bird conservationists to raise funds for a rehabilitation program called "Flying the vulture home". The bird was found in a critical condition by a villager in Chanthaburi province, 245 km (152 miles) east of Bangkok on New Year's Eve, and was handed over to Kasetsart University in Bangkok two weeks ago. Veterinarians believe the one year old male bird came from an East Asian country and deviated from its migratory route before falling from the Thai sky out of exhaustion and lack of food. The bird had been tested negative for the bird flu virus and is undergoing rehabilitation programme. To restore the bird's flying abilities, for instance, veterinarians have put together a twice weekly outdoor flying exercise in a wide field. "The bird has a status of extinction endangered, according to the list by Bird Conservation International - with a population of only 20,000 world-wide which are being protected in India and Korea. So, we are trying to send it back to its natural habitat," said Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua, a veterinary professor at the University. Chaiyan said the programme needs about 700,000 baht ($19,410 USD) for the programme which includes the transportation of the black vulture to its original natural habitat and the installation of a Global Positioning System (GPS) device to observe the bird for a further three years. The rare male vulture is fed one kilogram of pork's leg or beef flesh once a day in its isolated room to ensure it will not be disturbed. The veterinarian team will move the bird early next week to a new enclosure for a rehabilitation program in Nakhon Pathom province where the team is hopeful the vulture will regain its strength. If everything goes to plan, the veterinarians will be able to transport the bird to Mongolia, his natural habitat, by the end of March.

ITN Source | January 19, 2007

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