Vanishing vultures

Till they fell from the skies, leaving deadly grounds of pathogen-breeding rotting carcasses to dogs, kites and crows, none of which has the unique gift of digesting and neutralising even the world8217;s worst pathogens. Perhaps, countdowns to epidemics have already begun.

With its livestock density, India was also home to the largest vulture population of the world. Less than two decades ago, they numbered more than eight million. Today, barely a few thousand survive. Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory veterinary drug, has effected a population loss even faster than that of the Dodo.

Scientists detected the unnatural drop in vulture population as early as the mid-90s but for years, the phenomenon remained unexplained. Three species of the bird 8212; the Oriental White-backed, the Long-billed and the Slender-billed 8212; all endemic to the subcontinent, were put in the highest category of protected species. Tests for poisoning and other epidemics yielded nothing.

Finally, scientists in Pakistan working in collaboration with US-based Peregrine Foundation, cracked the puzzle by the end of 2003. Diclofenac, used to treat cattle, was causing fatal visceral gout in the vultures that fed on these carcasses. Their findings were published in Nature and experts hurriedly assembled in Kathmandu in January 2004 to assess an unprecedented crisis.

For once, the political leadership and the experts were in agreement. It took a year for the conservationists in India to convince the Prime Minister. At the second meet of the National Board for Wildlife 8212; a session dominated by the tiger crisis 8212; on March 17 last year, Dr Manmohan Singh offered a lifeline to the vultures 8212; diclofenac would be phased out in six months.

The conservationists were relieved. 8220;After all, it is an open and shut case. Unlike the tiger crisis, this was not a case for debate. We needed a simple but strong step and the Prime Minister has taken it,8221; former Project Tiger director PK Sen had said.

A year later, conservationists realise their optimism was misplaced. The ministries concerned 8212; PMO, Health, Agriculture and Environment and Forests 8212; have been passing the buck on who will implement the decision of the country8217;s top executive.

Some conservationsists, like Mike Pandey, have started their campaign afresh. His film 8212; The Vanishing Vultures 8212; has been instrumental in bringing the issue back to the fore. Some like Neeta Shah of the Bombay Natural History Society, have not given up their old habit of knocking at every ministerial door for action on the ground. A few states have responded and prohibited the use of diclofenac. But a federal ban seems far away.

There are excuses, one more insurmountable than the other. The drug controller general8217;s office cites technical snags in the law and claims it needs a definite word from the Animal Husbandry department. The Animal Husbandry department says it has been awaiting initiatives from the MoEF and the Health.

The government also wants to be very sure about the alternative drug meloxicam and has asked the Indian Veterinary Research Institute to conduct a series of tests. Dr Devendra Swarup, the scientist conducting the tests, assures that the alternative drug is fine but he will need more time to complete all four phases of tests prescribed by the government. No, he doesn8217;t remember if the government took so long to clear diclofenac for veterinary use.

8220;This delay only shows that this government is not serious about conservation,8221; noted ornithologist and author Bikram Grewal is livid. 8220;Given the mess in tiger conservation, I had little hope that something concrete would be done to save the vulture. The Prime Minister had assured us of strong action repeatedly but can we take him seriously if his government doesn8217;t?8221;

Chris Bowden, director, vulture programme, for the UK-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, is equally diasappointed. 8220;I took it positively when the Prime Minister made the announcement last year. I feel it is the Ministry of Agriculture that has been dragging its feet. There is no justification for this delay. The science is there, the PM8217;s directive is there. I hope this issue will be picked up again at the next meeting of the National Board for Wildlife,8221; he said.

Others believe the delay is symptomatic of anything that requires ministries to coordinate to deliver. 8220;I can8217;t explain this inaction in any other way. Every time we meet these officials, they agree with us but nothing moves on the ground. I think if it were up to a single ministry, we would already have the ban in place,8221; says Neeta Shah.

But Kiran Chaudhury has not lost hope. Haryana8217;s Minister for Environment and Forests and Tourism, she is one of the major forces behind the success of the vulture centre at Pinjore. And she has lobbying hard to get diclofenac banned. 8220;As soon as I took over as minister, I wrote to the Prime Minister, urging him to look into the issue. I got a response from him last week and he assured me he would do everything necessary to save the endangered vulture. I also got an assurance from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. I understand it is in the interests of a certain pressure group to keep the drug in the market. So we need intervention from the top to enforce a ban,8221; she told The Sunday Express.

Meanwhile, the ripples are travelling rapidly. From the ragpickers at the Ghazipur dumping ground to the villagers in Gujarat, the common man is slowly realising the consequences of the missing vulture. In the process of identifying the problem and initiating efforts to counter it, India8217;s 85 lakh vultures are already dead. And the drug to blame is still only a pharmacy counter away.

Which is why awareness must reach before government action if any does, on ground. While Pandey8217;s film has been an eye-opener, Shah8217;s campaign on behalf of BNHS is penetrating the hinterlands. 8220;We have audio clips on radio. We have simple posters and literatures. It is reassuring to learn that most villagers promise to give up diclofenac if that can bring back the vulture,8221; says Shah. 8220;We can feel the change. We just hope the government wakes up in time.8221;

Grewal, however, feels it is already too late. 8220;The ban should have come the day before yesterday. The drug is not a lifesaver or anything. Why waste time on finding alternatives? As if our livestock were dying before diclofenac was introduced,8221; he fumes.

But Nature8217;s resilience might prove effective. 8220;The White-backed ones may never recover. But I will hope against hope. In any case, the others will bounce back. At least give them a chance. Let8217;s ban it,8221; urges Pandey.

The Prime Minister agreed, his ministries willing8230;

Dogs next?

The delay in banning diclofenac may put another species at risk. In the absence of the vulture, feral dogs in big numbers have taken to scavenging in the abattoirs all over the country. Dr Devendra Swarup at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute has a word of caution for these dogs.

In the past, Dr Swarup has tested the adverse implication of diclofenac on different birds and animals. The drug not only kills the vulture but also has adverse impact on dogs.

8220;We tried the normal dose on dogs and they reacted to diclofenac. The lesser body mass of vultures make them much more susceptible. But we need to get a full-fledged study done to know how critically a dog will react if it consumes enough. These days, thousands of feral dogs feed only on carcasses,8221; he said. 8212; ENS