The vulture has been spotted again near Victoria Memorial Vultures are back in the city, after a gap of two years. The scavenger bird, last seen in the city in 2005, has recently been spotted near Victoria Memorial and Citizens' Park. "Around 20 vultures have been spotted in this area since last week. We are trying to find out whether they are migratory or staying on here,' said V.K. Yadav, the deputy chief wildlife warden of the state forest department. Forest officials have also spotted four vulture nests in trees. "Voluntary organisations have been asked to monitor the 20-odd birds,' Yadav said. Two surveys in 2005 revealed that there were less than 100 vultures in the city; the figure has since dwindled further. The surveys reported that the birds were wiped out from the Maidan, Botanical Gardens and Tollygunge. Experts blame the slide in vulture population to a painkiller that doctors frequently administer to cattle. "Research has shown that the kidneys of vultures get affected after they feed on carcasses of cattle treated with painkillers containing diclofenac sodium,' an official said. Vets are being requested to replace the painkiller with a drug that is not harmful to vultures. "The persuasion has led to a decline in the use of diclofenac sodium and rise in the vulture population,' said an official. "Besides, the white-rumped vulture, the variety predominant in Bengal, can survive the most adverse conditions. That's one reason why it has not become extinct despite its disappearance from the city for two years,' the official added. A vulture-breeding programme is on in Jalpaiguri's Buxa Tiger Reserve, in collaboration with the Mumbai-based Natural History Society. An official of an NGO working for wildlife said: "Not just vultures, all birds of prey flying over Calcutta face the threat of extinction. The numbers of Brahmini kite, Pallas's Fishing Eagle (common in wetlands) and other raptor varieties are decreasing. On the other hand, the count of the pariah kite, which survives on garbage, is on the rise.'