During the early 2000s , India saw acatastrophic decline in predator , with numbers pool of one species , the oriental white - back vulture , crashing by a staggering 99.7 % . It was come upon to be down to the use of an anti - inflammatory drug called diclofenac , which veterinarian used to cover cattle . When the cow died , they were simply left out for the vultures to devour , and researchers later find out that the drug was lethal to the scavenging birds .
This led to the governing banning the purpose of veterinary diclofenac , although the drug is still available in large doses commercialize for human use . In reality , however , these are used by vets illegally in parliamentary law to stay treat cattle . The governmenthas now actedto cease the sales agreement of diclofenac in such large vials , limiting it to undivided dose samples . Hopefully , this will make it too expensive to be used by vets and thus lead to its complete elimination from cattle , strengthening the aegis of the vultures further .
“ It will go a long way in preventing potential extermination of vultures by drastically reducing abuse of multi - dose phial , without any important threat for legitimate use on humans , ” Bombay Natural History Society officialstold The Times of India . Until now , while humans only necessitate a dose of around three milliliters ( a ten percent of a smooth ounce ) , the drug has been sold in ampul of 30 mil ( one fluid ounce ) . With oxen needing 10 - 15 cubic centimeter ( around a third to a half a fluid troy ounce ) of the drug , the multi - dose bottle are frequently abuse by vets , despite alternative vulture - well-disposed anti - inflammatories being available , such as meloxicam .
In fact , while the decline in vulture numbers pool in India come out to have slack or even finish in some places since the banning of diclofenac in 2006,a sketch last yearconcluded that the drug could still be found in pharmacies across the commonwealth . They mark in the paper that more need to be done to finally excrete the drug from the vultures ’ food supply , something that the government now seems to be trying to do .
“ Spanish authorities are choosing pharmaceuticals over the surround , ” Asunción Ruiz , CEO ofSEO / BirdLife Spain , toldAl Jazeera . “ Vultures provide services to our husbandman that are far more valuable than the benefits of this product , a product that can well be supervene upon by safe drugs . ”
range Credit : Bernard DUPONT / Flickr CC BY - SA 2.0
