Indian Vulture Species

The following vulture species are found in India:

• Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)

• Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)

• Long-billed Vulture (Gyps indicus)

• Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)

• Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)

• Indian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)

• Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)

• Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)

• Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)

Decline of Vulture Populations

• The decline in vulture populations in India was first observed at Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan. 
• Vultures from the Gyps genus, which includes many of these species, experienced a dramatic decrease of nearly 97% over a 12-year span, ending in 2005.

Critical Endangerment

• Three species, namely White-backed Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, and Long-billed Vulture, have seen a drastic decline in their populations over the past decade.
• Red-headed Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, and Long-billed Vulture are classified as critically endangered.
• Populations of Egyptian vultures and White-backed Vultures have also decreased in India, leading to their classification as Endangered.

Cause of Decline

• Initially, the decline was thought to be due to the lack of food (dead livestock) or an unknown viral epidemic.
• Later, it was confirmed that the population decline was primarily caused by the use of the drug diclofenac.

Diclofenac Sodium as the Probable Cause

• Diclofenac is a type of medicine that helps reduce inflammation and pain in certain situations. However, it can have negative effects on the kidneys, leading to kidney failure. This is because it reduces the production of certain substances in the kidneys.
• Vultures, birds that eat the remains of animals treated with diclofenac, face kidney failure and a condition called visceral gout, where uric acid builds up in their tissues and organs. Unfortunately, this often leads to their death.
• A noticeable sign of illness in these birds is “neck drooping,” where their necks hang down for a long time before they either fall from trees or die. This behavior is a clear indication that the vultures are unwell, and it’s also reported in healthy birds when it’s very hot outside.

Meloxicam – An Alternative

• Meloxicam is another type of medicine, like diclofenac, but it’s considered better for treating animals. It has fewer side effects and is approved for use in humans in more than 70 countries. In India, Europe, and the USA, it’s allowed for use in animals.
• Banned but still in use
• In May 2006, the Indian Government banned diclofenac for treating animals, but some people still used the human version for sick cattle. The problem is that the human form is much cheaper than safer alternatives like meloxicam, which have been tested to make sure they don’t harm vultures.

Significance of Vultures in India

Vultures play a crucial role in India for two reasons:

1. They clean the environment by eating the remains of dead animals.
2. They follow the religious practices of the Parsi community by helping dispose of dead bodies.

Vultures are the main animals that clean up dead animals in India and Africa.

Without Vultures

• Other animals that clean up carcasses will be affected.
• There will be more rotting carcasses, causing environmental issues.
• Feral dogs might spread diseases like rabies and anthrax by moving into areas with dead animals.
• The Parsi tradition of using “Towers of Silence” for vultures to feed on dead bodies will be impacted.

Vulture Safety Zones

The idea of a Vulture Safety Zone (VSZ) is special for Asia, but similar zones are in Europe and Africa. Creating VSZs aims to make people aware within a 150 km area around vulture homes. The goal is to ensure no diclofenac or harmful veterinary drugs are in the food of vultures, which is usually the carcasses of cattle. VSZs are set up in places like Jim Corbett in Uttarakhand, Dudhwa, and Kartarniaghat in UP, near the Indo-Nepal border. Nepal also has VSZs along the Indian borders.

VSZs provide:

1. Safe food source: Food without harmful drugs and poisons.
2. Extra food near vulture homes, helping young vultures survive and breed successfully.
3. Additional food, like bone fragments, for breeding birds.
4. Help prevent diseases from spreading.
5. A place for scientists to study the biology and ecology of threatened vultures.
6. A chance for public awareness about vulture protection and fundraising.
7. A great opportunity for nature lovers to watch these amazing birds.

Zones

1. The area from Uttarakhand to Nepal, including Corbett to Katriya Ghat, 2 Tarai belt, covering 30,000 square kilometers, is named a Vulture Safe Zone. It’s home to slender-billed and white-backed vultures in marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests.
2. A belt from Dibrugarh in Assam to North Lakhimpur in Arunachal Pradesh is kept as a vulture safe zone, hosting slender-billed and white-backed vultures.
3. The third zone in central India, covering Chhattisgarh, is where white-backed and long-billed vultures are found.

What needs to be done? 

Establish Diclofenac-Free Zones (DFZ) in identified vulture-safe zones, removing diclofenac completely where vultures live.

Breeding Centres in India

Zoos in India have established Vulture Breeding and Conservation Centres in Pinjore, Haryana (2001), Rani, Guwahati, Assam, and Buxa, West Bengal (2005). The Central Zoo Authority of India pledged support for four more in Junagadh, Bhopal, Hyderabad, and Bhubaneswar in 2006-07. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) identified safe zones in three places by 2014. Though breeding started some years ago, it takes around four to five years for young vultures to fly.

Measures taken to Conserve Vultures

• The veterinary drug Diclofenac is banned by the Indian and Nepalese governments.
• Meloxicam, a safe alternative, is promoted for vultures and scavenging birds.
• The Government of India formulated a National Action Plan (2006) for Vulture Conservation, addressing decline through ex-situ and in-situ vulture conservation.
• White-backed, Long Billed, and Slender Billed Vultures now have upgraded protection status from Schedule IV to Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Vulture Safety Zones and Vulture Restaurant sites are designated.
• A ‘Vulture Captive Care facility‘ is set up in Panchkula.
• State Governments are advised to establish vulture care centers for the conservation of three vulture species.
• Captive breeding centers secure healthy birds for conservation and future release.
• The BNHS releases 30 young vultures from breeding centers, organizing awareness activities for various groups.

India’s Role in Conservation

India proposed a motion in IUCN in 2004 for vulture conservation, leading to an accepted IUCN resolution urging Gyps vulture Range countries to prevent diclofenac use and establish the IUCN South Asian Task Force for national vulture recovery plans.

Save – Saving Asia’s Vultures From Extinction

• A consortium named Save coordinates conservation efforts for South Asia’s vultures.
• Focused on saving three species: Oriental white-backed vulture, Long-billed vulture, and Slender-billed vulture.

Partners

Partners include Bird Conservation Nepal, Bombay Natural History Society (India), International Centre for Birds of Prey (UK), National Trust for Nature Conservation (Nepal), and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK).

• Asia’s first ‘Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme‘ launched in Pinjore, releasing Himalayan Griffons into the wild from the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre. The Himalayan Griffon is related to endangered Gyps vulture species.