The Hindu : National : Special fund for vulture conservation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2005

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Special fund for vulture conservation

By Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI, MARCH 21. The Ministry of Environment and Forests will provide special rehabilitation fund for the vulture conservation programme through its existing programmes for wildlife conservation. The chief wildlife wardens of vulture-range States have also been asked to set up technical advisory committees for their conservation.

Decline

The steps have been taken following an unprecedented decline in the number of three species of Gyps vultures found in South Asia, including India, since 1990. The Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), long-billed vulture (G. indicus) and slender-billed vulture (G. tenuirostris) are facing imminent extinction across most of their current geographical range, due to the veterinary drug, `diclofenac.'

High mortality

Population surveys have revealed declines of resident Gyps species of vultures in excess of 97 per cent over a period of 12 years in India while unusually high mortality was reported in white-backed and long-billed vultures in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, in 1996-97. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of nests of white-backed vultures reduced from 353 to 150 in this National Park. The long-billed vultures also showed a similar decline of 97 per cent from 816 vultures in 1985-86 to 25 birds in 1998-99.

In the meantime, similar declines were noticed in Pakistan and other neighbouring countries also and post-mortem findings showed the presence of visceral gout or accumulation of uric acid within tissues and on the surfaces of internal organs as the major cause of death. Diagnostic tests conducted by the experts detected the presence of detectable levels of `diclofenac' in their kidneys. Further scientific experiments showed that vultures often fed on livestock treated with `diclofenac' in a quantity sufficient to kill the birds.

`Diclofenac' is a member of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) group, which includes aspirin and ibuprofen, and has been widely and safely used in humans to treat pain, fever and inflammation since its introduction in the market in the 1970s. It is not approved for veterinary use in North America or Europe but was marketed in the Indian sub-continent to treat livestock in the late 1980s.

`Replace drug'

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has also written to the Ministries of Agriculture and Health and State Governments to phase out the use of `diclofenac' and replace it with non-lethal substitutes. They have also been asked to ensure safe disposal of `diclofenac' contaminated carcasses, if any, with the help of the Animal Husbandry Department.

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