Vulture species threatened

PARIS - Diclofenac, a farm drug that has driven three species of South Asian vultures to the brink of extinction, could also decimate vultures in Eurasia and Africa, scientists fear.

Researchers in 2004 warned that three vulture species in India and

Pakistan could be wiped out by the end of the decade because the

birds absorb toxic amounts of diclofenac by scavenging the

carcasses of buffaloes and goats.

Diclofenac is a painkiller treatment for livestock that is sold

over the counter across South Asia, and in other parts of the world

too.

 

In a study published on Wednesday in the British journal Biology

Letters, British and South African scientists tested diclofenac on

the Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), which inhabits parts of Central

Asia and Southern Africa, and on the African white-backed vulture

(Gyps africanus).

 

The birds were given meat from goats and buffaloes that had been

treated with diclofenac a few hours before being slaughtered.

 

Three Griffon vultures and two African white-backed vultures

were enrolled in the test, along with five somewhat luckier birds

which were "controls" - they did not eat the meat but instead were

force-fed sterilised water.

 

After 24 hours, four of the diclofenac-treated birds showed

lethargy and drooped their necks.

 

By the 48-hour mark, all were dead.

 

A post-mortem showed extensive damage by uric acid crystals, a

condition called visceral gout, to their kidneys, liver and

spleen.

 

The control birds, though, were fine.

 

The levels of toxicity shows these two species are "at least as

sensitive" to diclofenac residues as the three Asian vulture

species, the Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), the

long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) and the slender-billed vulture

(Gyps tenuirostris), the study says.

 

The authors, led by Debbie Pain of Britain's Royal Society for

the Protection of Birds (RSPB), call for urgent research into a

looming threat to species that, today, are widespread.

 

"Diclofenac, as well as other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory

drugs (NSAIDs) may pose a danger to five other Gyps vultures found

in Asia, Europe and Africa," they warn.

 

Populations of the three South Asian species have plummeted by

more than 95% since the early 1990s and are now listed as

critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

 

The 2004 research shed light on the causes of the population

crash and warned India and Pakistan that, unless diclofenac were

banned and a captive breeding programme swiftly launched, the three

species may become extinct in the wild within three to five

years.

 

The dying out of the vulture would be an irreplaceable loss of a

link in the food chain.

 

In India, the birds also play a vital cultural role.

 

Followers of the minority Parsi faith depend on vultures for

disposal of their corpses, considering the burial or burning of

human remains to defile the elements.

 

- Nampa-AFP

 

Diclofenac is a painkiller treatment for livestock that is sold

over the counter across South Asia, and in other parts of the world

too.In a study published on Wednesday in the British journal

Biology Letters, British and South African scientists tested

diclofenac on the Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), which inhabits

parts of Central Asia and Southern Africa, and on the African

white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus).The birds were given meat

from goats and buffaloes that had been treated with diclofenac a

few hours before being slaughtered.Three Griffon vultures and two

African white-backed vultures were enrolled in the test, along with

five somewhat luckier birds which were "controls" - they did not

eat the meat but instead were force-fed sterilised water.After 24

hours, four of the diclofenac-treated birds showed lethargy and

drooped their necks.By the 48-hour mark, all were dead.A

post-mortem showed extensive damage by uric acid crystals, a

condition called visceral gout, to their kidneys, liver and

spleen.The control birds, though, were fine.The levels of toxicity

shows these two species are "at least as sensitive" to diclofenac

residues as the three Asian vulture species, the Oriental

white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), the long-billed vulture

(Gyps indicus) and the slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris),

the study says.The authors, led by Debbie Pain of Britain's Royal

Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), call for urgent

research into a looming threat to species that, today, are

widespread."Diclofenac, as well as other non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may pose a danger to five other

Gyps vultures found in Asia, Europe and Africa," they

warn.Populations of the three South Asian species have plummeted by

more than 95% since the early 1990s and are now listed as

critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).The

2004 research shed light on the causes of the population crash and

warned India and Pakistan that, unless diclofenac were banned and a

captive breeding programme swiftly launched, the three species may

become extinct in the wild within three to five years.The dying out

of the vulture would be an irreplaceable loss of a link in the food

chain.In India, the birds also play a vital cultural role.Followers

of the minority Parsi faith depend on vultures for disposal of

their corpses, considering the burial or burning of human remains

to defile the elements.- Nampa-AFP

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