Saving the Scavengers

Why in news?

The Tamil Nadu government has recently formed a committee to set up an institutional framework for the effective conservation of vultures.

Vultures almost went extinct in the country at the beginning of the 21^st century.
There was a decline of 96% of India’s vulture population between 1993 and 2003.
To deal with this, the Central government has put into place two action plans to protect the species at the national level.
The first in 2006 and the second, ongoing plan for 2020-2025.
One of the important action points in this nationwide plan is the formation of State-level committees to save vultures.
According to this plan, the Tamil Nadu Government formed a State-level Committee to set up an institutional framework for the effective conservation of vultures.

Nine species of vultures are recorded from India and out of these, five belong to the genus Gyps and the rest four are monotypic.

Gyps

Monotypic

Vultures feed on carrion, the remains of dead animals, and act as the ‘rubbish collectors’ of the natural world offering a valuable socioeconomic service to local communities.
Feeding on animal remains, vultures likely help eliminating potentially harmful bacteria from the environment, potentially limiting the spread of diseases such as anthrax and rabies.
Vultures are also having considerable cultural and religious significance in India where humans have laid out their dead to be consumed by scavengers.
Of these, the best known and documented are the Parsees.

Diclofenac – Vulture’s tolerance for harmful substances does not extend to man-made drugs.
The use of some Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) to treat cattle, such as diclofenac, nimesulide, ketoprofen among others, has led to the crash in vulture populations across India.
Diclofenac was banned for veterinary use in India and Nepal in 2006 and in Bangladesh in 2010.
Slow breeding - Vultures are slow breeding birds, laying only one egg a year and having a longer immaturity duration after fledging.
Europe’s usage – Diclofenac is permitted to use in veterinary treatment in Europe and it could jeopardise the efforts taken in South Asia to conserve these species.
Continued usage of diclofenac in other parts of the world pose a threat to species found there and the future conservation of vultures in the Indian Subcontinent.

With more robust policies and enforcement of rules that are immediate, we can safeguard the remnant vulture populations in the country.
With better practices, collective motive to change human behaviour and the usage of safe drugs for cattle treatment, we can save vultures from extinction.

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