1. Roll No. 11933
Name: Muhammad Usman
Topic: Status of Vultures in the World and In Pakistan
My Presentation: Introduction
BS Hons. Chemistry Evening 4th Semester Assignment Zoology
3. INTRODUCTION
• Vultures are birds and play an important role in the
environment as scavengers. They eat/consume the decayed
and dead carcasses of animals and thus recycle the
environment. There are two groups of the vultures found in
the world.
• Old world vultures: The Old World vultures found in in
continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe
• The New World vultures and condors found in continents of
North and South America.
• Vultures are not found in Australia and Antarctic.
• These scavenger also save the spread of diseases from rotting
carcasses which include rabies, anthrax, plague etc. and are
stopping human deaths indirectly.
4. VULTURES OF PAKISTAN
There are eight Vulture species in Pakistan. Seven are Native to
Pakistan.
• One (King/ Indian Black vulture) is vagrant.
• Cinereous vulture, Aegypius monachus
• Egyptian vulture, Neophron percnopterus
• White-rumped vulture, Gyps bengalensis
• ‘Indian vulture, Gyps indicus
• Himalayan vulture, Gyps himalayensis
• Red-headed vulture, Sarcogyps calvus
• Bearded vulture (Lammergeier), Gypaetus barbatus
• Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus
•
5. FEEDING
• Vultures mostly eat wounded or sick animals. They
do not eat healthy animals. Vultures are vital
scavengers. They consumed the dead or decayed
animal carcasses thus are recyclers of ecosystem.
6. Status
• A decrease in the vultures’ populations was noticed in 1990’s. by
Dr. Vibhu Parakash who belongs to Bombay Natural History
Society as a principal scientist. He observed this status at Keoladeo
National Park. As the issue was critical so international scientific
societies focussed on the issue and searched for the possible
responsible cause. There were many problems while searching for
the cause like low availability of freshly dead carcass and extremely
hot weather near about 40 °C. Some causes were not as largely
responsible for the issue such as pesticide poisoning, bacteria or
industrial pollutants. This was revealed by a search brought about
by Zoological Society of London. So it was clear that there was
some new cause behind the decline of vultures species.
7. CAUSES
• After extensive research the main cause responsible for decline was
found to be DICLOFENAC. A discovery made by Dr. Lindsey Oaks
and his team in 2003. The main cause behind the large scale decline
of vulture’s populations was diclofenac sodium. Diclofenac is a
non-steroidal , anti-inflammatory drug. It was commonly used in
South Asia to treat livestock fever or pain. This drug was extremely
dangerous for the vultures. Vultures were affected when they
consumed the carcass of the animal treated with diclofenac. Gyps
species were particularly sensitive to diclofenac. White-rumped
vultures populations Gyps bengalensis decreased by 99.7% from
1993-2003. Indian vulture Gyps indicus populations decreased by
97.4% and the same percentage decrease were found for slender-
billed vultures Gyps tenuirotris. These three species were severely
affected. The other species were less affected as compared to these
three Gyps species. In South Asia populations of vultures are
decreasing 20% to 40% each year since 2007.
8. Some other purposed causes of vulture decline include:
Food shortage
Food shortage has also contributed to some extent. It might not be as
bigger reason as diclofenac.
Persecution:
Persecution means deliberate or accidental poisoning of the food that
birds eat. It is an important cause of African vultures decline.
Contaminants:
Extensive use of agricultural chemicals such as DDT, Pesticides,
organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and heavy metals etc.
might have also contributed towards the decline.
Infectious disease:
Renal and visceral gout presence, crystallization of the Uric acid in
the tissues etc suggest the possibility of infectious diseases.
9. IUCN declared four species of vultures critically endangered in Asia currently
2008. These species include:
• Oriental white-backed vulture or (White-rumped vulture)[Gyps
bengalensis] on IUCN red list
• Long-billed vulture [Gyps indicus] on IUCN red list
• Slender-billed vulture [Gyps tenuirostris] on IUCN red list
• Red-headed vulture or / [Sarcogyps calvus] on IUCN red list
12. Status of four species has been changed in IUCN Red list 2015
▫ Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus:
• status changed from Endangered to CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
▫ White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus:
• status changed from Endangered to CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
▫ White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis:
• status changed from Vulnerable to CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
▫ Rüppell's Vulture Gyps rueppellii:
• status changed from Endangered to CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
13. The Solution - Vulture Safe Zones
Definition of Vulture Safe Zones
A zone where there is no diclofenac poisoning or very low risk of poisoning is
called a vulture safe zone. In other words a diclofenac free area is called a safe
zone. For sharp recovery of vultures it is required to protect and retain the
remaining key birds in a vulture safe zone created in the wild. These sites are
very important for the recovery of the birds since these are first release sites.
Vulture Safe Zones and Vulture Conservation Breeding Centers are two
parallel programs for the conservation of vultures and both are very important.
14. STATUS IN AFRICA
Ruppells vulture…………………..97% declined
White-headed…………………….96% declined
Egyptian…………………………...92%declined
Cape ………………………………92% declined
White –backed…………………….90% declined
Hooded…………………………..83% declined
Lappet faced……………….…….80% declined
Bearded…………………………..70% declined
CAUSES
1) DICLOFENAC
2) Infectious disease:
3) Food shortage:
4) Persecution
5) Contaminants
