bye bye birdie...part deux

[Guest guest]

India's once-abundant vulture population has plummeted an astonishing 97 percent

in the past decade, and conservationists worldwide charge the Indian government

with not acting quickly enough to save them. The culprit is diclofenac, a cheap

painkiller used to treat sick cattle in South Asia; it poisons vultures when

they scavenge meat off dead cows. In March 2005, the Indian government promised

to ban the drug within six months, but it's remained freely available even as

three vulture species hurtle toward extinction. India's powerful Agriculture

Ministry opposes the ban. Bird advocates say prices for a bird-safe but more

expensive substitute would likely drop if the ban were enforced. Vultures play a

vital role in the ecosystem by cleaning meat off the carcasses of dead animals;

without them, populations of rats and feral dogs -- rabies carriers -- have

exploded.

 

The New York Times, Amelia Gentleman, 28 Mar 2006

 

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