Bhubaneswar, May 11: A Centre-sponsored vulture breeding and conservation project at the Nandankanan Zoological Park here may have remained a non-starter for the past decade, but forest officials have still not written it off.

Sanctioned and sponsored by the Central Zoo Authority, in 2006-07, work on the project has, so far, remained limited to the construction of a nursery-cum-quarantine aviary for vultures located at a corner of the zoo with a botanical garden attached to it. But the enclosure remains empty with the Nandankanan authorities failing to capture even a single bird from the wild.

Principal chief conservator of forests, S.S. Srivastava, however, said there was hope of the project taking off shortly after the Central Zoo Authority assured help.

"We are quite hopeful about the project taking off," he said.

Nandankanan deputy director Jayant Dash said the project was originally conceived for the rare white-backed vultures, which are on the verge of extinction.

However, in order to kick-start the project, the Central Zoo Authority has decided to provide long-billed vultures.

"We will receive 12 long-billed vultures from the Gwalior zoo. Both juveniles (chicks) and adult birds will be among them," said Dash.

Explaining the reasons for delay in execution the project, Nandankanan sources said capturing the Indian white-backed vulture was a Herculean task because they were practically on the verge of extinction. The zoo had even requested its counterparts in Bhopal and Pinjore for supply the endangered species to kick-start the project. However, that plan did not materialise for reasons unknown to them.

It is not that the Nandankanan authorities did not make adequate efforts to capture the birds from the wild.

In 2008, a four-member team went to Athmallik in Angul district on a vulture-sighting mission. The team surveyed 11 villages and found evidence of nesting of these rare species in Arjuna and peepal trees. However, despite spending 10 days in the area, the team could not sight a single bird.

The problem, according to sources, was that a large number of Arjuna, peepal and palm trees, in which these vultures nest, have been cut down and cleared away, mainly to make room for development projects. Besides, these scavengers have also had to face a severe food crisis with cattle carcasses not always available, unlike in the past when people used to throw dead cattle on the outskirts of the villages. These days, they hand them over to butchers for money.

Srivastava said capturing the birds from the wild was not easy but he remained confident about the project taking off with the help from the Central Zoo Authority.