Vultures,once the masters of sky, are in the verge of extinction. They are the efficient scavengers of nature and occupy a crucial ecological niche that helps in maintaining a healthy and natural environment.
Vultures play important role in maintaining clean environment through rapid consumption of animal carcasses and human dead bodies in the form of sky burials within Nepal and Tibet. Nine different species of vultures have been recorded from South Asia. Nepal supports six resident vulture species (white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis, slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris, Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus, Himalayan griffon vulture Gyps himalayensis, and Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus), one winter visitor (Cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus) and one passage migrant (Eurasian griffon vulture Gyps fulvus). They help man to dispose of carcasses when their animals die. They have a robust digestive system, allowing them to digest disease causing bacteria found in rotting meat. Vultures prevent outbreak and spread of infectious disease such as anthrax, foot and mouth disease and rabies.
The vulture decline in India was first quantified at Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, by Dr. Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist of the Bombay Natural History Society. Between 1985-1986 and 1996-1997 the population size of Oriental white-backed vultures declined by an estimated 97% at Keoladeo, and in 2003 this colony was extinct. These declines were coupled with high mortality of all age classes. In 2000 BNHS teams undertook over 11,000 km of road based surveys, repeating 6,000 km of road-transects previously surveyed for raptors in the early 1990s, and confirmed that declines of >92% had occurred in all regions across northern India. Results from field surveys inidicate that in 2007 population of white-rumped vultures was crashed by more than 99.9% in comparison to numbers recorded in 1991-1993. (Prakash et al. 2007). Across South Asia tens of millions of vultures have now died. Monitoring of breeding numbers of vultures in Pakistan also indicated similar levels of decline, with white rumped vultures declining by more than 99% from 2000 to 2006 (The Peregrine Fund 2007). Similarly, in Nepal studies show 16%annual decline in white rumped vultures from 2002 to 2009(BCN research).
The main reason for their decline is a veterinary painkiller “DICLOFENAC”. It was used as a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug in cattle and other domestic animals. The residues of the drug remain in the dead body of animal and if the vultures consume this carcass within 72 hours of Diclofenac administration then they die because of severe uric acid accumulation on their vital organs and kidney failure.
Vultures play important role in maintaining clean environment through rapid consumption of animal carcasses and human dead bodies in the form of sky burials within Nepal and Tibet. Nine different species of vultures have been recorded from South Asia. Nepal supports six resident vulture species (white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis, slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris, Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus, Himalayan griffon vulture Gyps himalayensis, and Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus), one winter visitor (Cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus) and one passage migrant (Eurasian griffon vulture Gyps fulvus). They help man to dispose of carcasses when their animals die. They have a robust digestive system, allowing them to digest disease causing bacteria found in rotting meat. Vultures prevent outbreak and spread of infectious disease such as anthrax, foot and mouth disease and rabies.The vulture decline in India was first quantified at Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, by Dr. Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist of the Bombay Natural History Society. Between 1985-1986 and 1996-1997 the population size of Oriental white-backed vultures declined by an estimated 97% at Keoladeo, and in 2003 this colony was extinct. These declines were coupled with high mortality of all age classes. In 2000 BNHS teams undertook over 11,000 km of road based surveys, repeating 6,000 km of road-transects previously surveyed for raptors in the early 1990s, and confirmed that declines of >92% had occurred in all regions across northern India. Results from field surveys inidicate that in 2007 population of white-rumped vultures was crashed by more than 99.9% in comparison to numbers recorded in 1991-1993. (Prakash et al. 2007). Across South Asia tens of millions of vultures have now died. Monitoring of breeding numbers of vultures in Pakistan also indicated similar levels of decline, with white rumped vultures declining by more than 99% from 2000 to 2006 (The Peregrine Fund 2007). Similarly, in Nepal studies show 16%annual decline in white rumped vultures from 2002 to 2009(BCN research).
The main reason for their decline is a veterinary painkiller “DICLOFENAC”. It was used as a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug in cattle and other domestic animals. The residues of the drug remain in the dead body of animal and if the vultures consume this carcass within 72 hours of Diclofenac administration then they die because of severe uric acid accumulation on their vital organs and kidney failure.
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Who could have anticipated that the flesh of those so treated left to complete the circle of life through vultures could harm this noble and harmless bird? How many more surprises await us downstream from the medicine cabinet?
Vulture species in South Asia are declining at an alarming rate and the primary cause of decline is veterinary drug Diclofenac, which was widely used to treat livestock in Asia. Vultures are exposed to Diclofenac by feeding on livestock carcasses which contain residue of this drug. Uric acid level is very high on vultures exposed to Diclofenac and they die of kidney failure. After identifying Diclofenac as the major cause of decline of vulture population, a group of national and international organization issued a Manifesto in January 2004 (Vulture Rescue 2004). This called for immediate action from the governments of all Gyps vulture range states to prevent the veterinary use of Diclofenac.
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