Rooftop dining for endangered vultures in Halol!
But this joint promises to become a lifeline for nature's scavengers - the endangered vultures.
The municipality of Halol, some 45km from Vadodara, has firmed up plans to set up 'Giddh (Vulture) Restaurant' perched atop a 20 m RCC tower, an initiative aimed at conserving 15-odd long-billed vultures that reside in the hills of Pavagadh.
The facility is being planned at Jambudi village near the town whose aerial distance from Pavagadh is two to three kilometres, sources said. This makes it the ideal location for the feeding facility, common in many countries, but claimed to be the first of its kind in the country.
An initiative for vulture conservation at Raigad in Maharashtra used open plots to put partially skinned carcasses out for vultures. In Oman, scavenger feeding facilities are being planned near solid waste disposal sites.
"We plan to have an RCC tower with a tabletop and a lift, like those used at construction sites, to lift the food up for the vultures. Water will also be provided on the platform. It will be the equivalent of five floors high," said Halol municipality chief officer Hiral Thakar.
The restaurant is planned near the solid waste disposal site in Jambudi. "The location is towards the side of the Pavagadh hill where vultures live. They usually identify places where they find food and will come there," said Thakar.
A survey in 2022 revealed that at least 10 adult vultures were surviving on the hill. Officials say the number could be as high as 15.
A birder and project manager with the Community for Conservation of Nature (Cocoon), Venus Joshi, who worked extensively in the area, said such initiatives are much needed and could help vulture conservation. He, however, said there were some quarries where mining was still taking place and a police shooting range near the site. "These could disturb the vultures. The area has a good presence of raptors and owls too.
I suggest that some experts should also be roped in for the project," Joshi said.
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