PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, June 11, 2004 (ENS) - "Two imperiled species of vultures have been found in northeastern Cambodia, bringing hope to conservationists that the threatened birds may not die out entirely. BBirdLife International and the Wildlife Conservation Society today announced the sighting of threatened slender-billed and white-rumped vultures. More than 120 birds, the largest single gathering recorded in Indochina during the past 15 years, were counted in Siem Pang District of Stung Treng Province.
Most significant, the conservation groups say, was the observation of at least 28 slender-billed vultures, the rarest of the Asian vulture species. "This is one of the highest numbers recorded anywhere in the species's range during recent years, and at least four times greater than the previous largest single count in Indochina," the conservation groups said.
The discovery was made during a “vulture restaurant” training course. “Supplementary feeding of vultures is a relatively simple and effective conservation action for us to undertake,” said Dr. Sean Austin, country manager for BirdLife International’s Cambodia Program. “Given the catastrophic decline of vultures elsewhere in Asia, Cambodia could provide an important stronghold.”
Populations of white-rumped, slender-billed, and Indian vultures have plummeted in South Asia over the past decade, most severely in India, where numbers have dropped by 97 percent since 1993, and are dropping by 30 to 40 percent annually in Pakistan."
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http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=32549
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