The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently set into motion a Vulture Action Plan 2020-25. The primary objective is to conserve vultures in India, whose numbers have seen a decline as much as 90% since the 1990s.
A Troublesome Past
In one of the most significant bird population declines globally, vultures endemic to India saw a drastic decrease from the 1990s to 2007. The Oriental white-backed, long-billed, slender-billed, and red-headed vultures are now critically endangered, with 99% of their species having been wiped out. The red-headed variety saw a decline of 91%, while the Egyptian vultures were reduced by 80%.
Reason for Decline
The culprit of the decline was identified in 2004 as Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory veterinary drug used in treating pain and inflammatory diseases like gout in carcasses that vultures feed on. A mere 0.4-0.7% of animal carcasses contaminated with diclofenac was enough to wipe out 99% of vulture populations. The MoEFCC released an Action Plan for Vulture Conservation in 2006 to counter this, with the Drugs Controller General of India banning the veterinary use of diclofenac that year.
Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025
The new plan seeks to ensure minimal use of Diclofenac and regulate the sale of veterinary NSAIDs so that vultures’ food sources are not poisoned. It also aims to carry out safety testing on vultures for available NSAIDs and develop new ones that do not affect them. The initiative also includes a system that automatically removes a drug from veterinary use if vultures are found to be toxic.
Conservation Upscale
Additional Conservation Breeding Centres and Vulture Conservation Centres are to be established, with collected samples and information from the wild analyzed and stored. Moreover, the government plans to implement a Vulture Safe Zone programme in eight different places where there are existing vulture populations. The plan will also encompass conservation initiatives for Red-headed and Egyptian vultures, with breeding programs included.
Building Rescue Centres
The government aims to build four rescue centres per geographical area, located in Pinjore in the north, Bhopal in central India, Guwahati in Northeast, and Hyderabad in South India. These centres would provide a safe haven for endangered vulture species and serve as breeding grounds to increase their dwindling numbers.
National and International Efforts
The Central Zoo Authority and Bombay Natural History Society established a Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme as well as a Vulture Care Centre in Pinjore, Haryana. Internationally, SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction), a consortium of regional and international organisations, was created to coordinate conservation activities for South Asia’s vultures.
State of Vultures in India
India is home to nine species of vultures; most of them are on the brink of extinction. These nine species have varying statuses under the International Union for Conservation of Nature, ranging from “Least Concern” to “Critically Endangered”.
The Importance of Vultures
Despite their less-than-appealing reputation as scavengers, vultures play a pivotal role in maintaining the environment. They dispose of dead animals that would otherwise decompose naturally, creating foul odours and unsightly scenes. As nature’s cleanup crew, they also play a valuable role in controlling wildlife diseases.
