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CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONHOW AND WERE DO THEY FIT?SOUTH ASIAN VULTURE STATUSPROBLEMS AND CAUSESTHE CONSEQUENCESACTION TAKENROLE OF IUCNHOPE.REFERENCE

INTRODUCTION

What are vultures?Scavenging birdsFound on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.Characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of normal feathers.

Mystery, Myth and Legend..Earlier, considered sacred in Hindu mythology. The bird died while trying to rescue Sita, the wife of Hindu god-king Ram.Now unpopular: Dismissed as dirty scavengers.Used as a metaphor for those who prey on the weak or dyingAssociated with negative connotations of cowardice and selfishness.

HOW AND WHERE DO THEY FIT IN THE WORLD?

Can be regarded as a natural resources, like air and water, which provide society with no. of services which have an impact on: -human health -economic activity -environmental quality As primary carcass disposers. In rituals for the dead of Parsi community-The Tower of Silence. According to Parsi beliefs, Earth, Fire, and Water are sacred elements, and both cremation and burial are sacrilegious.For the deceased Parsi to reach heaven, vultures serve as intermediaries between earth and sky by consuming the body, liberate the soul.

Vulture's ability to digest infected, rotting meat without impending any negative effects to its own health.They are nature's own cleaning devices.Understand their behaviour and breeding productivity.To Measure the vulture population and conduct a nationwide monitoring to produce a recovery plan by establishing a captive care facility for sick & potentially healthy vultures.

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(White-rumped vulture) : (White-rumped vulture) Gyps bengalensis , - , , - (Critically endangered) .

SOUTH ASIAS VULTURE STATUS

Population surveys have revealed declines of resident Gyps spp. vultures in excess of 98% over a 12-year period in Bangladesh and 92% in a 3-year period in Pakistan. A rapid decline is also in progress in Nepal. Because of the evidence of widespread and rapid population decline, three vulture species were listed by IUCN, The World Conservation Union, in 2000 as Critically Endangered (Bird Life 2000), which is the highest category of endangerment. distribution of the three most endangered Bangladeshn vultures

SPECIES EFFECTEDOut of 6 species found in Bangladesh three vulture species were listed by IUCN, the World Conservation Union, in 2000 as Critically Endangered., , ,

PROBLEMS. SHARP DECLINE IN THE VULTURE POPULATION.95% decline by 2003 and 99.9% decline by 2007 of G. bengalensis sp. and 97.4% of G. indicus and tenoirestris sp.Two decades ago, there were 85 million; now they are about 3000-4000.(Prakash et. al.).

THE CAUSE DIFFERENT THEORIESEcological factors lower unavailability of food and nesting sites? Use of veterinary drugsEpidemic of infectious disease?Use of DDT in agriculture and malaria control? Effect of transportation infrastructure, and reacreation. USE OF DICLOFENAC After much work on possible causes of the decline, the culprit was discovered by Dr. Lindsay Oaks and his team in 2003: diclofenac.An anti-inflammatory agent deployed successfully in human medicines for decade in EU.But in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal it has been deployed in veterinary medicines in particular for live stocks.Acts as a fatal poison to vultures and they die from kidney failure.

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Later Ketoprofen was introduced as substitute for Diclofenac. But, it was realized that even Ketoprofen is equally harmful for vultures.

Ketoprofen , like diclofenac, is an anti-inflammatory drug administered to livestock to reduce pain and swelling caused by rheumatism or arthritis.

MELOXICAM

With lot of research, now Meloxicam is invented which is not harmful for animals, especially Vultures.

Experts say the new drug Meloxicam, is as effective as Diclofenac in treating livestock, but does not harm birds.

THE CONSEQUENCESWhy does their survival matters?

Absence of vultures has led to growing population of minor scavengers - rats or wild dogs - a potential threat for diseases like rabies, anthrax etc..Use of expensive alternatives by many cattle owner for the methods of carcass disposal for public health like to have carcass buried or burnt.Impact on the economy of hide and bone collectors as their lives become harder who relay on clean carcasses to earn living.

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ACTION TAKENVulture Breeding And Conservation Centre established at Rema khalenga wildlife Sanctuary.INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP At KATHMANDU IN FEB. 2004.NATIONAL BOARD FOR WILDLIFE (NBWL) recommended banning of the veterinary drug diclofenac.The Central Zoo Authority of Bangladesh has committed an amount of Rs.1 crore for supporting vulture conservation programme at 4 centers in the zoos at Junagadh, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Bhubhaneshwar in 2006-07.Monitoring of Vultures nesting Colonies.

ROLE OF IUCN to establish 100 kilometer radius Vulture Safe Zones. clear of diclofenac and other potentially dangerous veterinary painkillers.Breeding centers and release programmes. ,

THERE IS HOPE FOR SOUTH ASIAS VULTURE..These conservation action have achieved substantial success and have resulted in the following major achievements:All vulture range states in the Bangladeshn subcontinent have banned the veterinary use of diclofenac.Regular monitoring of NSAID residues in cattle carcasses shows that the level of diclofenac contamination of the vulture food supply has fallen substantially and use of meloxicam increased markedly in Bangladesh.

REFERENCEReport of the international South Asian vulture recovery plan workshop .Counting the Cost of Vulture Declines Economic Appraisal of the Benefits of the Gyps Vulture in Bangladesh- Anil markandaya, Tim Taylor. A blue Print for the recovery of South Asias critically endengerd Gyps vultures.http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/vulture.html

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