Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore

Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre
Critically Endangered Bird Breeding Centre
Indian vulture in flight
Indian vulture in flight
Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre is located in Haryana
Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre
Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre
Location in Haryana, India
Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre is located in India
Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre
Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre
Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre (India)
Coordinates: 30°46′7″N 76°57′19″E / 30.76861°N 76.95528°E / 30.76861; 76.95528
Country India
StateHaryana
DistrictPanchkula
Founded byFormer Chief Minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala
Named forJatayu
Government
 • TypeGovernment of Haryana
 • BodyForests Department, Haryana
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Websiteharyanaforest.gov.in

The Jatayu and Sparrow Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC), is the world's largest facility for the breeding and conservation of Indian vultures and the house sparrow (Passer domesticus).[1] It is located within the Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary in the town of Pinjore in the State of Haryana, India.[2][3][4] It is run by the Haryana Forests Department and Bombay Natural History Society with the help of British nature conservation charity Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.[5] It is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Pinjore[3] and covers 5 acres (2.0 ha).

Named after the mythical vulture Jatayu from the Hindu epic Ramayana,[6] it was established in 2001 as Asia's first vulture breeding facility[7] and focuses on the conservation of critically endangered species of vultures on the IUCN Red List. The centre's research confirmed that the use of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in cattle was a critical factor in the decline of vulture populations.[6] The Government of India banned the veterinary use of the drug in 2007–2008 as a result of research done at the centre.

Although the house sparrow is of least concern globally, its numbers in India have been declining, especially in Punjab and Haryana. JCBC is conducting research on the causes of decline to formulate plans to reverse it.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference jatayu3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Two sparrow research centres to come up in Haryana, Indian Express, 10 Jan 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Haryana Forest Department". Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  4. ^ Forests Department, Haryana
  5. ^ Flight of Highly Endangered Vultures Grounded by Red Tape; TheQuint.com; Published: 8-May-2017
  6. ^ a b Pinjore’s vultures on a wing and a prayer for survival, Vivek Gupta, Hindustan Times, 17 June 2017
  7. ^ "Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore". Forests Department, Haryana. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.