Protect our Griffon Vultures - Act Now or Wait?

17. Julio 2011 por admin.

In early 2004, the painkiller Diclofenac was identified as the cause by a US-led team in the deaths of thousands of Asian vulture species such as The long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) and the slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris). The Oriental white-backed vultures (Gyps bengalensis) were once the most common large bird of prey anywhere in the world!
Diclofenac is extremely cheap to buy, it has been widely used in South Asia to treat cattle for conditions like lameness, or mastitis - inflammation of the udder.
The trouble was that vultures were feeding off carcasses of dead, treated animals, and the drug was destroying their kidneys.Rather than wait and put another re-introduction scheme in place after donations and pleas for help in Spain or other parts of Europe, can we all pull together and concentrate on keeping, rather than ’saving’ our magnificent Griffon Vulture.
NSAID (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug) called diclofenac.
I have searched for more information on the use and availability of this drug in Spain and have found not much clear information about any ban for its use with livestock. As far as I am aware, it is a legal drug still offered for sale by pharmaceutical companies here in Europe and you can certainly buy it online or over the counter here in Spain for human use.

India successfully imposed a livestock ban for its use in 2006. It idifficult to account for any drugs perviously purchased and what stocks were held by both vets and farmers prior to this date. The logistics involved with any enforcement would be financially problematic for authorities both in India and here in Spain but any pre-emptive ban on diclofenac, for the protection of our vulture species would be a good demonstration of southern EU country member’s comittment to conservation and our natural environment.
Other vulture species in Kenya are being poisoned in greater numbers than ever before, possibly due to the push to sell poisons such as rat pellets around open refuse dumps. I know that White Storks also have the same problems at dumps where they eat dead or dying rats, in fact I had to inform my neighbour that the Tawny Owl I caught in his garden had been poisoned by rat poison. It died two days later.
Power-line deaths in South Africa seem to be a mian cause of death for Cape Vultures, and so the list and cuases go on and on…
Is it an on-going fight all over the world or do we simply react to problems like this? The RSPB has an Asian Vulture Appeal which I applaud, but can we do something NOW to prevent a decline or similar extermination of one of the most magnificent and essential birds in nature right here in our own back-yard.
Meloxicam is being recommended with guidelines to vets as an alternative to Diclofenac.

Griffon Vultures can live for up to 40 years. The vetinary drug Diclofenac will make such huge ammounts of cash for investors who are in the most unaware of the consequences of one product on vulture species.

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