Vulture Populations Face Renewed Threat from Veterinary Drugs, Despite Bans
Madrid/Cambridge – A new warning from conservation biologists highlights the continued use of toxic veterinary anti-inflammatory drugs in Europe, threatening vulture populations decades after similar drugs caused a catastrophic collapse in Asia. Research published September 4th in the journal Science reveals that despite bans implemented nearly 20 years ago in Asia, these harmful drugs remain in use, posing a risk to these vital scavengers.
The crisis began in the 1990s in India, where scientists observed a dramatic and unexplained decline in vulture populations. Within a few years, over 95% of vultures vanished from the Indian subcontinent. The cause remained a mystery until 2004,when researchers identified diclofenac,a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly used to treat cattle,as the culprit.
The drug’s toxicity to vultures is indirect but devastating. Diclofenac is administered to livestock to alleviate fever and pain. In South Asia,and also in parts of Europe like Spain,livestock carcasses are often left in the open,providing a food source for vultures. When vultures consume the remains of animals treated with diclofenac, they suffer kidney failure and visceral gout, leading to death. While specific feeding stations exist in some European countries, the continued use of the drug presents an ongoing threat.