For vultures’ sake, ministry may swallow bitter pill

Saving the Gyps vulture from extinction won’t be an easy task for the Environment Ministry with cheap alternatives to diclofenac not re...

Saving the Gyps vulture from extinction won’t be an easy task for the Environment Ministry with cheap alternatives to diclofenac not readily available in the market.

And time is running out for the Ministry, as the Prime Minister and the Wildlife Board has asked it to ensure that the drug, is phased out within six months. It is a difficult task, considering the Ministry has to coax both the Agriculture and Health ministries to give up the drug, believed to be linked to vulture deaths.

Experts say vultures are exposed to the drug when they feed on carcasses of livestock that have been treated with diclofenac. The drug is believed to cause renal failure and visceral gout in vultures.The main stumbling block is the Agriculture Ministry, as the drug is widely used as a veterinary painkiller and even export it to neighbouring countries.

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‘‘The department is aware of the problem and is looking for alternatives. Alternative drugs are expensive, while diclofenac is cheap and is used to treat all kinds of livestock, including those owned by the poor and landless,’’ says Animal Husbandry Commissioner S.K. Bandopadhyay.

The Department of Animal Husbandry is in touch with the Bombay Naturalist Society to work out a cheaper alternative, and is also considering if bulk orders would reduce costs. The department has written to the Drug Controller General to get all available data on diclofenac.

The Environment Ministry will now set up a inter-ministry group to phase out the drug and also plans to involve neighbouring countries in vulture conservation efforts.

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