Jharkhand to Operationalize First Vulture Centre in Ranchi

• Jharkhand to get first vulture conservation and breeding centre in Ranchi.
• State government approved MoU with Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) for technical support.
• The centre, sanctioned in 2009, aims to revive the critically endangered vulture population, severely impacted by the drug diclofenac.
• BNHS will provide supervision and facilitate bringing vultures from other centres for breeding purposes.
• A vulture census starts Dec 15 in Jharkhand, home to six Indian vulture species; a 'vulture restaurant' in Koderma offers diclofenac-free food.

Why It Matters: Jharkhand's new vulture centre offers a lifeline to India's critically endangered vultures.