Vultures May Return To Mumbai's Tower Of Silence

Mumbai's Parsi-Zoroastrian community is hopeful about the return of vultures to the Tower of Silence cemetery at Malabar Hill after the release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures into the wild in Assam.

The ancient Zoroastrian funeral custom of Dokhmenashini, under which the dead are placed in dakhmas (Towers of Silence) for natural decomposition, was severely affected due to the near-extinction of Indian vultures. The main reason for this decline is the presence of the toxic veterinary drug diclofenac in cattle carcasses, which affects the kidneys of vultures.

The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) has been exploring the possibility of bringing vultures back to Doongerwadi, the Parsi-Zoroastrian community's cemetery complex, in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). BPP chairman Viraf Mehta discussed the progress of the discussions, plans for an aviary, and the challenges involved in protecting the birds from diclofenac.

According to Mehta, the progress of the talks has been slow, and the main obstacle is the diclofenac challenge. The BPP needs to find a way to identify bodies with and without diclofenac and segregate them to prevent the vultures from getting kidney failure and dying.

Mehta mentioned that the BPP has identified a plot of land for an aviary at Doongerwadi and has a donor to pay for it. However, the challenge of dealing with diclofenac remains. The BPP is trying to find a non-intrusive procedure to identify cadavers with and without diclofenac, as families do not want any intrusion or post-mortem after a death.

The return of vultures to the Tower of Silence would be a significant development for the Parsi-Zoroastrian community in Mumbai. The community has been working to revive the population of these birds, which play a crucial role in the traditional funeral customs.

The diclofenac challenge is a complex issue that requires a solution to ensure the safe return of vultures to the Tower of Silence. The BPP and BNHS are working together to find a way to overcome this challenge and bring back the vultures to their natural habitat.

The success of this project would not only be a significant achievement for the Parsi-Zoroastrian community but also a step towards conserving the environment and preserving the traditional customs of the community.

In conclusion, the return of vultures to the Tower of Silence in Mumbai is a hopeful development, but it requires a solution to the diclofenac challenge. The BPP and BNHS are working together to find a way to overcome this challenge and bring back the vultures to their natural habitat, which would be a significant achievement for the community and the environment.