ANIMAL POPULATION DECLINE

DECLINING POPULATIONSANIMAL POPULATION DECLINE is the decrease in population of a particular species of organism or animal.

It is said that the number of wild animals on earth has halved in the course of the past 40 years.

Populations of mammal,birds,reptile, amphibians and fish have decreased by an average 52%.

A report by the team at the London Zoological Society states, “Humans are cutting down trees more quickly than they can re-grow,harvesting more fish than the oceans can

re-stock,pumping more water from rivers and aquifers than rainfall can replenish them and emitting more carbon

than the oceans and forests can absorb.”

MAJOR ANIMAL POPULATION DECLINE AROUND THE WORLD

LION POPULATION- In one reserve in Ghana it has declined by 90% in 40 years.

TIGER POPULATION- It has declined from 100,000 a century ago to 3,000

NORTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS- It has declined from 2000+ in 1960 to only 15 by 1984.

WHITE RUMPED VULTURES- In India, its number has decreased from 80 million in 1980 to a several thousand today.

90% of the world’s shark population has been killed in the last 10 years.

VULTURES IN INDIAVULTURES PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE ECOSYSTEM :

They help maintain a clean environment.

They are scavengers and feed on dead animal carcasses. they have highly corrosive acid in their stomach which digests these carcasses infected with diseases like rabies,cholera and anthrax which could result in the death of other scavengers.

They thus clean the environment and prevent harmful diseases from spreading.

VULTURES IN INDIAIndia has around 9 species of vultures.

REASONS FOR THE VULTURE DECLINE

ELECTROCUTION:

An oriental white backed vulture was rescued and found on an open field at Bhangaon village in Shrigonda taluka.

The studies conducted by the researchers stated that its condition was due to lack of food.

But when it was released,it got electrocuted from electric wires 60km away

FOOD SCARCITY:

Experts say that food shortage has resulted in the death of many vultures in India.

The central government has directed the villagers to bury the dead cattle carcasses to maintain a clean environment.

But the has reduced the availability of food to the vultures,thus leaving them hungry and starving.

DICLOFENAC:

Diclofenac is a painkiller used to treat the cattle.

In India,the dead cattle carcasses are fed on by the vultures.But most of these cattle treated with diclofenac and so the vultures are affected when they feed on them.

The vulture decline in India was first assessed at Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan by Dr.Vibhu Prakash (principal scientist of the Bombay National History Society).

Many surveys were conducted during the course of 1985-2007. The survey conducted in 2007 resulted in the decline of white-backed vultures by 99.9% and long-billed and slender-billed vultures by 97%.

DICLOFENAC (continuation):

Studies of the carcasses of dead cattle and dying vultures stated that the reason of the death was ‘visceral gout.’ Around 284 post mortems conducted in Pakistan, India and Nepal said that 84% of the vultures had the gout.

Visceral gout is the formation of uric acid, that crystallises at very high levels and coats the internal organs with a white paste.Visceral gout results in kidney failure. Vultures appear sick and lazy for a period before dying.

Diclofenac was discovered in 2003 by the researchers at the Ornithological Society of Pakistan and Peregrine Fund (USA).It is a drug and further investigation stated that every bird affected by the gout had traces of diclofenac and the other birds,which did not have the visceral gout did not have any traces of diclofenac.

Infecting the feeding flesh from cattle with diclofenac resulted in the death of the vultures receiving a high dose of it within few days with extensive visceral gout.

PESTICIDES:

Spraying dead cattle with pesticides like Organo-chlorine and Organo-phosphorous for preventing foul odour from spreading has led to the death of vultures when they feed on the carcasses infested with pesticides.

LOSS OF HABITAT:

When trees are chopped off the vultures become homeless. Thus leaving them without nesting trees.

In the only known breeding ground in Assam in Sivsagar, a single poisoned cow carcass resulted in the death of 55

vultures,including white-backed,slender-billed and himalayan griffon vultures. The carcass was poisoned probably to kill stray dogs. Feeding on the permeated

carcass led to the vultures’ death

CONSERVATION OF VULTURES

The government had started a ‘Vulture Recovery Plan’ in 2006. The plan put forward three initiatives:

diclofenac should be banned for veterinary use.

another safe alternative should be found (meloxicam)

conservation breeding programme should be started.

Vulture restaurants were opened in India.The white-backed vultures were the customers at India’s first vulture restaurants Phasand Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra.Here a carcass is put every three or four days for vultures to feed on next to a drinking trough. There are large trees for them to sit on.

LET US NOT MAKE THIS THEIR LAST MEAL .

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29418983

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150729-rhinos-death-animals-science-endangered-species/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/29/earth-lost-50-wildlife-in-40-years-wwf

http://indiasendangered.com/six-reasons-why-vultures-may-be-dying-in-india/

http://www.save-vultures.org/vulture-declines/

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/indian-vultures-are-dying-for-some-good-news/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Electrocution-may-be-a-cause-for-falling-number-of-vultures/articleshow/7550506.cms

http://www.gktoday.in/blog/protection-of-vulture-in-india/

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22729731/0

https://indienvironment.com/2015/02/03/one-poisoned-carcass-fifty-five-dead-vultures/