 A mystery solved: helping vultures
in Asia
While vultures are not among the most attractive or most loved bird species, they are definitely among the most needed in Asia. Religious and cultural traditions call for the carcasses of domestic animals to be left out for "disposal" by these scavengers.
Beginning in the 1990s, people began to notice that carcasses were not being cleaned up as quickly as before. Despite the abundance of food, vulture populations appeared to be declining rapidly. The few vultures that remained could be seen perching in trees with their heads drooping, unable to fly or feed themselves. The lack of vultures resulted in a rapid accumulation of putrefying carcasses scattered across the landscape, which led to unsanitary conditions, contaminated water supplies, and increased risk of disease transmission.
In 2000, Dr. Bruce Rideout, with the Pathology Division of the San Diego Zoo's CRES, assisted The Peregrine Fund in an investigation into what was killing the birds. It was learned that inappropriate use of the veterinary drug diclofenac is the main cause of the near extinction of these vultures. The drug, which is used as a general painkiller and anti-inflammatory, has only recently become widely available across Asia (it is not available in the United States).
Efforts are now under way to restrict the use of the drug in livestock and to propagate Gyps species vultures in captivity for release after the threat of diclofenac toxicity has been removed.
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