``It is a dangerous sign if the population of these scavengers begins to decline. If vultures start dying in large numbers, what will happen to animal carcasses?'' asked Dr Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist at the BNHS. Dr Prakash, along with a host of other ornithologists, revealed that the population of vultures in India has reduced by a massive margin of 95 per cent on the basis of specific studies conducted over the last decade.

``In 1986, there were nearly 2,000 vultures and 350 vulture nests in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur. Today, there are just 25 nests, withhardly any vultures left,'' said Dr Prakash. Added Dr S M Satheesan, an ornithologist with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), India, there were nearly 8,000 vultures three years ago in Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), but their population has now dwindled to an alarming 20. S S Husain, another ornithologist remarked, ``The reason could be chemical pesticide contamination, viral/bacterial diseases, or the poisoning of carcasses by villagers. In fact, in metros like Mumbai and Delhi, there are virtually no vultures anymore because most dead animals are now mechanically processed in abattoirs.'' Dr Prakash said a national countdown to save vultures will soon start. With the help of the country's forests departments and NGOs, a certain day during their breeding season (September-October) will be earmarked for spotting them and conducting a head-count throughout the country. The BNHS will also carry out detailed post-mortems of two particular species - the white-backed vulture and the long-billed vulture.

An alerthas already been sounded to the Ministry of Environment and Forests as also on the Internet, to involve international organisations.