Guwahati: India has nine species of vultures, of which only one species has been depicted on Indian postage stamps.
A study done by Sachin Ranade (Bombay Natural History Society), who works on Vulture Conservation, and Dr Ajit Vartak (Maharashtra Vruksh Samvardhini, Pune) known as an avid philatelist and geologist, which was published in the Indian Forester Journal, says eight vulture species in India are endangered due to anthropogenic activities and philately could be used as a tool to popularise those, supporting their conservation.
The authors feel a lack of representation of vultures on Indian stamps while they are well adorned on the stamps of other countries.
Across the globe, 83 countries and the United Nations have published 204 stamps between 1954 and 2020 which showcased the vulture species found in India. Mongolia has published the maximum number of stamps on vultures (11) followed by Mozambique (8), Romania (7) and Yugoslavia (7). A few more countries like Bulgaria, Spain, Togo (each 6) and Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome, and Uganda (each 5) are worth mentioning in the list for their efforts.
Vultures are large, magnificent raptors, often referred to as nature’s own disposal system because of their scavenging habits. Until recently, India was home to large numbers of vultures – some of which thrived around human habitation, notably by scavenging in nearby carcass dumps.
“However, a sharp decline in the vulture population was noted in the 1990s. The numbers of these once numerous and widespread raptors have since fallen by over 99% for some species. Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug administered to livestock, proved to be fatal to vultures,” says Bird Count India. There have been many cases of vultures being poisoned in Assam.
A single stamp with Indian Vulture Gyps indicus (Long-billed Vulturewas issued only by Mozambique in 2012. Interestingly, the species is endemic to the Indian sub-continent, yet the only stamp issued is by Mozambique.
“The Indian culture valued vultures, the character ‘Jatayu’ in the epic Ramayana was a vulture. Interestingly, stamps on Jatayu were published by Laos in 1969, Indonesia in 1962 and 2018 and India in 2017,” the authors say.
The authors have proposed that the postal departments of India as well as other countries should publish even more stamps and covers on vultures. “The example of the Telangana Forest Department showcasing the Indian vulture Gyps indicus is praiseworthy,” the study says.
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“India is a stronghold for the Slender-billed vulture as well. The Oriental White-backed vulture is the commonest Gyps vulture all over India and could be the best representative of the resident vultures in India. The Bearded and Redheaded vultures are charismatic species that would attract the attention of the stamp collectors,” the study says.
“Publishing vulture images on stamps would spread awareness about these wonderful birds among common people of India and would grab the attention of stamp collectors all over the world,” the study says.
The study says Cinereous vultures, Himalayan vultures, Griffon and Egyptian vultures, as long-distance migrants, would grab the attention of international stamp collectors. “All the nine species of vultures found in India appear to be the right candidates to have the space on Indian postage stamps,” the study recommends.
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