KalingaTimes Correspondent
Kendrapara, Aug 29: The number of white-backed vultures, a highly threatened avian species, has considerably come down giving a major setback to the ongoing conservation programme of these species in Bhitarkanika National Park.

With census exercise of avian species coming to an end on Thursday, vultures remained out of sight for the enumerators.

These species, a critically endangered winged species listed in the Red Data book compiled by International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), had been sighted first in Bagagahana heronry of the national park in 2002-2003.

At a time when the vulture population was on a fast decline across the globe, the ornithologists were ecstatic over the sighting of the vulture species in Bhitarkanika some years back.

Wildlife personnel engaged in conservation project said that no white backed vulture was sighted this year while their number of sighting was more than 20 in 2002. Not a single nest could be spotted despite frantic search by enumerators.

Mysterious disappearance of these threatened species has apparently shocked the bird lovers while the researchers are yet to come out with conclusive reason that led these delicate species to vanish from the internationally-acclaimed wetland.

Forest officials still nurture the belief that vultures might have shifted their habitat to some other site within the sanctuary area. But they are yet to be re-sighted despite minute search in various strategic locations, the sources added.