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Things are looking grim for the Vultures of Asia. The following information is taken from the Vulture Rescue website - www.vulturerescue.org Recent Press www.telegraph.co.uk www.timesonline.co.uk www.independent.co.uk www.guardian.co.uk www.inthenews.co.uk www.news.bbc.co.uk Background Tens of millions of vultures used to be present across India, Pakistan and Nepal. Since the early 1990s three vulture species have undergone catastrophic declines. Populations have decreased by at least 97% in India over the last 12 years and 92% in five years in Pakistan. Vulture numbers continue to decline at around 40% a year, placing these three critically endangered species on the brink of extinction. Extensive research has identified the cause of the declines to be diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug routinely administered to livestock in Asia. Vultures are exposed to the drug when they consume carcasses of animals that were treated with diclofenac a few days before death. Diclofenac is highly toxic to vultures, causing them to die of kidney failure. The potential loss of these vulture species has profound ecological and social consequences in Asia. Vultures play a vital ecosystem service by rapidly disposing of carcasses that would otherwise pose a risk of disease. With the decline of vultures there has been a dramatic increase in feral dog numbers, which pose a real risk to human health and safety. Vulture Rescue aims to halt the vulture declines and to minimise the ecological and social costs of the decline in the three species.  Through an active program of conservation research, captive breeding and advocacy Vulture Rescue is working to ensure the survival of vultures in Asia. For more extensive information Please visit the Vulture Rescue website www.vulturerescue.org Hard Facts: The Problem: 3 species of vulture are dying out, The White Backed Vultures, The Long Billed Vulture and the Slender Billed Vulture The Cause: A drug called Diclofenac, and effective anti inflammatory pain killing drug that is administered to sick and dying cattle. When the animal dies, the vultures feed off the carcass, they ingest the drug which is poisonous to them. It causes liver and kidney failure and kills them. The numbers: Recent figures have estimated that over 99.9% of White Back Vultures have been wiped out in the last 15 years. This figure continues to decline at over 40% per year There were tens of millions of White Backed Vultures in the late 80's, there are now approx just 11,000 left. At a decline of over 40% per year, in less than a decade this species will be functionally extinct. The other two threatened species (long-billed and slender-billed vultures) have decreased by close to 97% over the same period, now there are just over 1000 of these species left in the wild. The Red Headed Vulture and the Egyptian Vulture are the latest to join the threatened vultures list. India produces 15 million tons of carcasses each year, what will happen to all this meat if there are no vultures to eat them? There has been a dramatic increase in feral dog numbers, which pose a real risk to human health and safety. India and Bangladesh already have the highest incidence of rabies in the South East Asian Region. The social and ecological effects are simply unimaginable. The Solutions: Stop the use of Diclofenac in livestock. Educate local farmers of the dangers of Diclofenac and about the safe alternative, Meloxicam. Put pressure on drug companies to produce Meloxicam and make it cheaper and more readily available. Captive breeding on a massive scale Provide safe feeding environments for Vultures, such as the already successful Vulture Restaurant in Chitwan, Nepal, whereby old cattle is bought from local farmers, they are left to pasture until they die a natural death, then the carcass is put out for the Vultures. Share this article

 

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