Previous Year Question

The major cause of the severe decline in India's vulture population has been the widespread use of the veterinary painkiller Diclofenac. It is a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) that was used to reduce pain, inflammation, and fever in livestock. When cattle, buffaloes, or other animals treated with Diclofenac die, residues of the drug may remain in their body tissues. Vultures feeding on the Carcasses of these animals ingest the drug residues, which can cause severe toxicity in their bodies.

Diclofenac causes serious damage to the Kidneys of vultures, potentially resulting in Acute Kidney Failure. Impaired kidney function prevents the normal excretion of Uric Acid, leading to the accumulation of uric acid crystals on internal organs. This condition is known as Visceral Gout. Highly susceptible vultures may die within a few days after consuming a carcass contaminated with Diclofenac. Research has demonstrated that even relatively low levels of Diclofenac contamination in livestock carcasses can pose a serious threat to vulture populations.

India experienced an extraordinary decline in vulture populations beginning in the 1990s. The White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus), and Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) were particularly affected. Various scientific surveys recorded population declines exceeding 90%, reaching approximately 99% in some cases. All three species are classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Vultures are natural Scavengers that play an important role in maintaining ecological sanitation by rapidly disposing of animal carcasses.

To conserve vultures, the Government of India initiated restrictions on veterinary Diclofenac in 2006, which were formally established through a statutory notification in 2008. Additionally, in 2015, multidose vials of Diclofenac intended for human use were banned to prevent their misuse in livestock treatment. Meloxicam and Tolfenamic Acid have been identified as relatively safe veterinary alternatives for vultures. Conservation efforts in India include Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres, protected habitats, and drug monitoring programmes aimed at restoring the populations of affected species.