Desicritics Comments on An India Without Vultures

Comment by Aaman

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:03:04 EDT

You might find this interesting: Vulture Count Falls by 40% in Gujarat It explicitly states:

Use of banned drug diclofenac has reduced the population to 1,500 from 2,646 last year

Comment by Michael Hansen

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:43:17 EDT

Interesting article that shows how fragile and complicated the food chain is. Our introduction of even the most innocuous substance into the diet of one animal has long reaching and unforeseen repercussions.

Comment by Shyam

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:40:36 EDT

Silly of me, I almost expected an India without the political vultures :) And we can definitely do well without them. Was really nice to read something different though. Thanks!

Comment by Ravi Kulkarni

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:41:26 EDT

Dear Harold, It is an eye-opening article. Thanks for your hard work. You never mentioned mortality of the wingless vultures that circle around the nearby New Delhi? They seem to function just fine diclofenac, antibiotics and other deadly concotions not-withstanding. We must encourage these drug manufacturers to produce even deadlier brews. Regards, Ravi Kulkarni

Comment by temporal

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 15:20:56 EDT

harold: thank you very much for the detailed and informative reply:)

Comment by harold bergsma

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:26:05 EDT

Dear temporal,#2.Lice and other parasites on raptors and vultures is common. Even among chickens and pigeons it is common to find parasites. One Bearded Vulture is a microcosm in itself, as it host thousands of creatures that live off of it. Scientists who visit the nests of vultures to study eggs and chicks, complain of the parasites that climb up their shoes, pants and even get on their hands. There must be some reason for this phenomenon. However, I have prepared many dozens of bird skins for scientific reasons and have been amazed at how frequently parasites exist. I wish to remind you that humans also carry a zoo of creatures with and on them. Our mattresses are filled with microscopic creatures that feed from our skin cells. "Scientific conclusions" I have read dozens of research articles. A few outlined how they obtained vulture specimens. Because of hot weather, vulture bodies decay and are also the object of other animals which eat them. One study said that they paid boys to climb trees to retrieve dead vultures that had been caught in the branches to obtain specimens. With my limited perusal of the 'literature' about vultures, I did not come across studies which showed how samples of vulture tissues were taken over a wide area of India and the sub-continent, nor how they did their sampling. One study that that is an excellen one is "Manifesto on Diclofenac and Vulture Conservation which was agreed upon and endorsed by Birdlife International and a number of other organizations. (www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/asia_vulture crisis/vulture_manifesto.html) I do not think that carcasses can be treated. Even the treatment could prove to be problematic. What is being done in some places is to create huge ovens that burn up the remains, but that takes fuel, is expensive and requires a mentality that is sensitive to environmental needs as opposed to keeping money in the pocket. Vultures were magnificent in how they cleaned up our messes. Sometimes the ugliest and most hated creatures are 'heavenly'.

Comment by temporal

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:22:38 EDT

harold: thanks for bringing this awareness raising article here based on what happens in other environmental concerns it can be safely adduced that humans in their utter selfishess are advertently and inadvertently causing inhuman environmental repercussions have three queries for you: 1: what could have caused the lice infestation on the single feather you saw in 1949 in that remote region? 2: am a bit unsure of the 'scientific' conclusions you quoted. who are they? how many birds, from what regions, did they open up? the duration of that study? 3: there must be a way to treat/neutralise the carcasses/corpses or rid them of this drug making them safe for the vultures?

Comment by Deepti Lamba

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:17:23 EDT

Harold, thank you for this wonderful article. I did wonder a few months back why there were only Kites circling around garbage dumps and no vultures.