NAKHON RATCHASIMA - Zoo keepers have begun a programme to breed vultures and
return them to their natural habitat, with the species on the verge of
extinction in Thailand.
Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo official
Prasert Chanklang said on Wednesday that vultures have disappeared from the
wild in Thailand due to changing geographic conditions becoming unfavourable
for them. Use of pesticides and chemicals on farmland also drove them away.
Now, the species is to be seen
only in zoos. Nakhon Ratchasima zoo has 7 vultures - 3 males and 4 females, he
said.
The zoo is trying to breed the
large birds, with three pairs. One pair was seen building a nest, good news
meaning that the birds were preparing to mate. Zoo staff were closely
monitoring their behaviour. If the pair do mate and lay eggs it would be the
first time the rare birds have been successfully bred in Thailand.
If the breeding programme is
successful, the vultures will eventually be released into their natural
habitat, Mr Prasert said.
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