Bring back the clean-up crew

They may not have the looks of a Puffin or the glamour of a peacock, but vultures are the gold standard clean-up crew. These sociable highfliers play a vital role in ecosystems, quickly stripping carcasses of decaying flesh, helping to stop diseases in their tracks. When Asian Vultures went into drastic decline, carcasses of dead animals became a potential risk to other animals and also to people. Packs of feral dogs have increased, leading to attacks on people, and an increased risk of rabies infection. Other diseases from carcasses also increased, with the health costs to the Indian economy potentially running into billions. But it wasn’t just India where vultures were vanishing, the same thing was happening in Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The White-rumped Vulture - once thought to be the most common large bird of prey in the world –declined at such a rate that for every thousand that existed in the 1990s, only one survives now. That’s a 99.9% decline. Long and slender-billed vultures fared only marginally better, with a 97% decline.

As the populations continued to crash, conservationists, including those from the RSPB, began working together to try to find out what was happening. In 2003, it was discovered that the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac - developed for human use - was being widely given to cattle. When vultures ate the cattle remains, the drug entered the vultures’ bodies, causing kidney failure and death.

Such an unprecedented decline needed a massive conservation effort to tackle it. Having identified the cause many organisations began working together to turn things around and formed SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction). The group now has 25 organisations working together to help vultures recover, including RSPB, BirdLife International, the Bombay Natural History Society, Bird Conservation Nepal and IUCN Bangladesh, amongst others.

With the problem identified a safe alternative drug, meloxicam, was found. In 2006, India, Pakistan and Nepal all banned the sale of veterinary diclofenac, but with vulture numbers so low, this wasn’t a quick fix.

Teams of dedicated people started a vulture breeding programme, raising hopes that healthy numbers could be bred in captivity and released in areas free of the deadly drugs. The creation of these “Vulture Safe Zones” is a crucial part of the ongoing plan. The work includes education and awareness programmes to spread the word about the dangers of diclofenac, and the important role vultures play.

Asia’s Vultures are not out of trouble yet. Their numbers are so low that it will take them a long time to recover. But the passion and determination of teams of nature savers has meant they are starting to turn the corner. Nepal was the first country to ban the sale of veterinary diclofenac, and the first country to release captive-reared and captive-bred vultures back into the wild. Using GPS tagging we know none of the birds released so far have shown signs of diclofenac poisoning, a good sign that the drug is no longer in use.

Dedicated teams of nature savers continue to help to improve vultures’ fortunes, benefitting the natural world and the people who live alongside them.

• The White-rumped Vulture was so abundant in the 1980s, it was probably the most common large bird of prey in the world.
• For every 1000 of the species there were 30 years ago, there is now only one.
• 200 vultures can strip an animal carcass to the bone in less than half an hour.
• Their strong stomach acid defends them against dangerous bacteria including cholera and anthrax.
• Vultures are entwined in the fabric of everyday life in South Asia. People and vultures have lived alongside each other for centuries. Without vultures to consume the body, the Parsi community are unable to carry out their traditional sky burials.
• The Nepal population of White-rumped Vultures is showing signs of recovery. Tagged adults have a survival rate of 97%, which demonstrates just how successful Vulture Safe Zones can be.