Vulture Series 2009 (part 1 of 2): India’s Vulture Population has Plummeted from 40 million to 60,000 – Poisoned by Drug Diclofenac

Three species of Gyps vulture are in danger of extinction – poisoned by the use of diclofenac in livestock. India, Nepal, and Pakistan have lost 95% of their vulture populations. As recently as the early 1980’s, there were approximately 40 million vultures in India.  However, in the late 1990’s, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) noticed population declines in a breeding colony of White-backed Vultures in Keoladeo National park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan.  By 2000, there were no breeding pairs left. Scientific […]