In a shocking incident, 25 vultures died after consuming a poisoned dog carcass in Semaria village under Bahadurnagar gram panchayat in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district.
According to local sources, poison had allegedly been used to kill stray dogs that were attacking livestock in the village. Village Sarpanch Devendra Singh said stray dogs had recently killed several sheep, prompting unidentified persons to poison food to eliminate them.
Five dogs reportedly died after consuming the poisoned meat. Subsequently, vultures that fed on one of the carcasses also succumbed to the poison.
Deputy Director of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Kirti Chaudhary, said samples and internal organs of the dead vultures have been sent to Bareilly for laboratory examination. Samples of suspected poisoned food recovered from the spot have also been sent for analysis.
The deceased birds are believed to be Himalayan Griffon vultures. Six vultures were rescued, of which four recovered and flew away after treatment, while the remaining are undergoing care at the reserve.
The incident has raised serious concerns among wildlife authorities and locals over the use of poison and its impact on endangered species.
