Vulture numbers are not documented by a complete Deccan Plateau census. The clearest local evidence comes from breeding colonies in and around Kaghaznagar Forest Division, Telangana: Long-billed Vulture counts fell sharply by 2021 after a temporary rise, while White-rumped Vulture counts increased during the study period. Researchers have also identified industrial wastewater as a possible pressure on Long-billed Vulture breeding success, but its role in the wider population trend remains unproven.
What the Deccan Plateau evidence shows
A 2024 study by Ravikanth and Baskaran monitored selected breeding colonies in and around Kaghaznagar Forest Division, not every vulture population across the Deccan Plateau. It followed Long-billed Vultures at Palarapu cliff from 2010 to 2021 and Lakkameda cliff from 2015 to 2021, and White-rumped Vultures at Dechilpeta from 2014 to 2021. Long-billed Vultures nest on cliffs; White-rumped Vultures nest in trees.
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| Species and measure | Study finding | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Long-billed Vulture colony observations | 34 individuals in 2015; 42 in 2017; 10 in 2021 | Counts rose temporarily, then fell sharply at the monitored colonies. |
| White-rumped Vulture colony observations | 22 individuals in 2014, rising to 66 in 2021 | Counts increased across the monitored period at Dechilpeta. |
| Age composition of observed birds | Adults made up about 78% of Long-billed Vultures and 80% of White-rumped Vultures | Relatively few younger birds may indicate limited recruitment, a concern for future persistence rather than a measured forecast of decline. |
These are observations from particular colonies and years, not estimates of the total number of either species in Telangana or the plateau. The two species also moved in different directions in this study, so the results do not support saying that every vulture species is declining at the same rate.
Are vultures in Telangana still declining?
The local evidence supports concern about Long-billed Vultures at the monitored Kaghaznagar-area colonies through 2021. It does not establish the current trajectory across Telangana: the local counts end in 2021, and the national assessment does not provide a Deccan-specific headcount.
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National evidence offers context, but it measures nests rather than local numbers of birds. The Wildlife Institute of India’s 2025 assessment surveyed four critically endangered resident breeding species in 17 states between February 2023 and January 2025. It recorded 2,410 nests, 1,994 of them active, across 216 sites. Nesting was absent from nearly 72% of previously known nesting sites. These figures indicate broad site-level losses, not a population estimate for the Deccan Plateau.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a 5 December 2024 parliamentary reply that “The population of the vultures in India in specific regions and habitats is not assessed.” Its centrally available species estimates were from 2017: 26,500 Long-billed Vultures, 6,000 White-backed Vultures, and 1,000 Slender-billed Vultures. They should not be treated as current counts. The Ministry’s reply is available at the parliamentary answer.
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A separate national trend analysis, State of India’s Birds’ 2025 update, reported a 93.91% long-term decline and a −6.76% current annual trend for Indian Vulture in India. Those national indicators do not measure the Kaghaznagar colonies and should not be substituted for local monitoring.
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Veterinary drugs, including diclofenac
Diclofenac poisoning from livestock carcasses is an established cause of the historic vulture collapse in South Asia. The Government of India says veterinary diclofenac was banned in August 2006, and that restrictions on multi-dose human-use packaging followed in 2015. Meloxicam and tolfenamic acid are identified as safer veterinary alternatives. A ban and later controls do not, by themselves, show whether vultures at Kaghaznagar are still exposed; current local exposure requires field evidence.
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Paper-industry wastewater
A December 2025 Current Conservation account of Telangana research identifies toxic wastewater discharge associated with the Sirpur Paper Industry as a factor negatively influencing Long-billed Vulture breeding success. The account calls for hazardous substances to be filtered and for toxicological studies of carcasses to assess possible exposure to industrial contaminants and veterinary drugs. This is a reported concern about breeding success; it does not prove that wastewater caused the full observed decline in colony counts or establish the size of its effect.
Other pressures suggested by national evidence
The Wildlife Institute of India reports that nesting is increasingly concentrated in central and north-western India, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. It also notes that some sites retain apparently intact habitat while vultures are absent. Toxic drugs or secondary poisoning are plausible explanations for such patterns, but this does not establish the cause of absence at any particular Deccan colony.
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What would clarify the outlook?
The most useful next evidence would separate changes in numbers from changes in breeding success and identify exposures rather than infer them. That means continuing colony monitoring at known sites, recording nests and age classes consistently, and testing carcasses toxicologically where available. For the wastewater concern, measurements of hazardous substances and the effectiveness of filtration would help assess exposure and potential effects. The local researchers’ call for such toxicological work reflects an unresolved question, not a confirmed account of every cause.
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At the national level, the 2025 nest assessment provides a baseline for follow-up surveys. The 2020–2025 national vulture action plan and conservation-breeding centres are described in government and assessment materials, but the sources cited here do not establish the plan’s status after 2025 or document a current, measured intervention around Kaghaznagar. The distinction matters: breeding-site counts, nest surveys, and national population estimates answer different questions.
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