Kanpur: A lot of murmur gathers following grabbing of a rare Himalayan Griffon Vulture by locals from the Eidgah cemetery in Colonelganj area here. It was later handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, as reported.
Kanpurites could not prevent their extreme excitement after the rare capture of one of the biggest bird species based in the cold Himalayan regions.
The excited youths did not lose their chance to pose with the scavenger bird. They were even seen towing its wings to a full stretch to demonstrate their grab.
The vulture's wing stretches up to over '6-feet, as was reportedly disclosed. Himalayan Griffon vultures are now nearly endangered. They are called ecosystem engineers, as Forest Service officers note.
Their large wingspan helps these vultures soar high in the sky searching for carcasses on the ground.
The locals at the Eidgah ground were excited by holding its magnificent wings or charmed it as a baby in their arms. A local Mohd. Safiq said that this vulture had been here for a week. We tried to catch it but did not work out. Finally, we captured it when it moved toward the low level.
The excited youngster said he often heard there were now fewer vultures in the country and wondered if there was existing any prize money for capturing vultures.
He also said that we handed over the vulture to the Forest Department in the presence of the police.
