Daily News Analysis

Vulture Facts

stylish_lining

The crash in their population from estimated 4 crores in the early 1980s to less than a lakh by 2007 in India is unprecedented in the animal world. Outside of the oceans, vultures are the only known obligate scavengers.

  • The ecological, social and cultural significance of vultures in India may be summed up as: scavenging on animal carcasses and thereby helping keep the environment clean.
  • There are nine species of vultures in India out of which three have been on critically endangered list of IUCN and also listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. 
  • White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis
  • Slender billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris
  • Indian Vulture/long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus
  • Himalayan Griffon – closely related to Indian Gyps – Near Threatened 
  • Egyptian Vulture – Endangered 
  • Red-headed vulture is on the critically endangered list of IUCN but not listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. (Schedule IV) 

Threats

A major threat to vultures is the painkiller diclofenac used by veterinarians to treat cattle. 

Effects

  • When vultures consume these carcasses, diclofenac enters their system, but they are unable to metabolize it. 
  • It results in uric acid accumulating in the birds’ blood and crystallizing around their internal organs, a condition called visceral gout.
  • Accumulation of diclofenac results in gout-like symptoms such as neck drooping(Thanatosis), kidney failure and ultimately leading to death. 

Aceclofenac

  • Indian Veterinary Research Institute has demanded a ban on using aceclofenac in cattle. 
  • Aceclofenac is a veterinary painkiller. 
  • It metabolises into diclofenac in water buffaloes and cows which eventually threatens vulture populations in the country. 

Drugs Toxic to Vulture

  • Diclofenac has long been established as the prime reason for wiping out 99 percent of the vulture population in India in the 90s. 
  • Later two more veterinary drugs, aceclofenac and ketoprofen, were found to be toxic for vultures. 
  • As per the new study, nimesulide appears to act similar to diclofenac in exerting toxic effects on vultures.
  • Flunixin
  • Carprofen

Safe Drugs for Vultures

  • Meloxicam 
  • Tolfenamic acid 

Conservation Measures

  • First Vulture Care Centre (VCC) was set up at Pinjore, Haryana in 2001. (to know the cause of decline)
  • Later in 2004, the VCC was upgraded to being the first Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India. 
  • At present there are nine Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India, of which three are directly administered by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).  
  • The main objective of the VCBCs was to look after the vultures and breed them in captivity and also release them into the wild. 
  • The Bombay Natural History Society and the RSPB (UK) are working as part of Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction (SAVE). 
  • Every four years, they set out on a survey of epic proportions, covering 15,500km of road in 13 states across India, counting individual vultures of each of the three species.

Vulture census

  • Vulture census was conducted in 2022.
  • The last such census was carried out in 2015.
  • The census would be conducted by scientists at the Bombay Natural History Society (a conservation NGO), along with teams from the 13 states and the MoEFCC. 
  • Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. 

Vulture Safe zone

  • Establishment of at least one vulture-safe zone in each state for the conservation of the remnant populations in that state. 
  • Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020 – 2025
  • The action plan was approved by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) in 2020. 
  • An earlier one was formulated in 2006 for three years. 
  • The new plan has laid out strategies and actions to stem the decline in vulture population, especially of the three Gyps species: 
    • Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis
    • Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
    • Long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus
  • This would be done through both ex-situ and in-situ conservation.
  • The plan has also suggested that new veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) be tested on vultures before their commercial release. 

International Efforts 

  • SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction) – It includes fourteen organisations involved and committed to helping the vultures to date, and this number is steadily growing. 
  • Bombay Natural History Society works with SAVE.

International Vulture Conservation Awareness Day

The initiative is run jointly by the Birds of Prey Programme of the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England.Through IVAD, both the organisation try to raise awareness about the threats that vultures are facing today and promote a coordinated international effort to publicise the conservation of vultures to a wider audience.

Recent News

First in many years, a vulture was spotted in the skyline of Thane which has not been spotted over two decades in the city.

Indian vulture

  • The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) is an Old World vulture native to Asia.
  • They are also known as Indian long-billed vultures due to their comparatively longer beak. 
  • It is a medium-sized and bulky scavengers feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead animals.
  • Females of this species are smaller than males.
  • Distribution: These are native to India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
  • Habitat: They are usually found in savannas and other open habitats around villages, cities, and near cultivated areas.
  • Threats: The Indian vulture has suffered a 97-99% population decrease due to poisoning caused by the veterinary drug diclofenac. This drug is toxic for vultures; it was given to working animals as it reduced joint pain and so kept them working for longer. 
  • Conservation status
    • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

Tourism Sector

Context: In light of the 50% US tariffs imposed on Indian goods, experts like former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant have suggested leveraging India’s tourism sector to offset potential export
Share It

Balancing Public Safety and Animal Welfare

The Supreme Court of India has recently issued a suo motu directive to remove stray dogs from the National Capital Region (NCR) following tragic attacks on children. This move has ignited a critic
Share It

Viksit Bharat@2047 Vision

As India aims to become a $30 trillion economy by 2047, a transformative vision dubbed Viksit Bharat@2047 calls for comprehensive reforms across various sectors to drive economic, social, and tech
Share It

Starlink

Starlink, the satellite internet service by SpaceX, has recently received a Unified Licence from the Indian government to provide satellite internet services in the country. This significant devel
Share It

Women in Armed Forces

The first-ever batch of 17 female cadets graduated from the National Defence Academy (NDA), marking a historic step toward greater gender inclusion in India's armed forces. Significance of
Share It

Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its tenth report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025, highlighting the progress made in reducing tobacco use globally and pointing out areas that s
Share It

Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs)

SRVAs are accounts opened by foreign entities with Indian banks that allow international trade transactions to be settled in Indian Rupees (INR) rather than traditional global currencies like the
Share It

WTO in Shaping Global Trade Dynamics

The World Trade Organization (WTO) plays a pivotal role in shaping the global trade environment by providing a multilateral platform for negotiating and enforcing trade agreements, ensuring that i
Share It

Quality Council of India (QCI)

Recently, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), a constituent body of the Quality Council of India (QCI), launched its new Medical Application Portal.
Share It

Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation refers to the adoption of elements from one culture by members of another, often in ways that exploit, disrespect, or commodify the original culture. This becomes particular
Share It

Newsletter Subscription


ACQ IAS
ACQ IAS