No abstract

Populations of three resident Gyps species (Indian white-backed vulture Gyps bengalensis, Indian vulture Gyps indicus, and Slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris) in India have decreased by more than 90% since mid 1990s, and they continue to decline. Experimental studies showed the mortality of vultures to be due to renal failure caused by diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. India, Pakistan, and Nepal banned the veterinary usage of diclofenac in 2006 to prevent further decline in vulture population. This study was performed to know the current status of the impact of diclofenac on vultures in India. Between 2011 and 2014, 44 vultures comprising two species, namely Indian white-backed vulture (32) and Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis (12) were collected dead from Gujarat, Assam, and Tamil Nadu on an opportunistic basis. Kidney and liver tissues and gut content were analysed for diclofenac. Of the 32 dead white-backed vultures analysed, 68.75% of them had diclofenac ranging from 62.28 to 272.20 ng/g. Fourteen white-backed vultures had diclofenac in kidney in toxic range (70-908 ng/g). Of 12 Himalayan griffon studied, 75% of them had diclofenac in the range of 139.69 to 411.73 ng/g. Himalayan griffon had significantly higher levels of diclofenac in tissues than Indian white-backed vultures. It is possible that 14 of 29 white-backed vultures and 9 of 12 Himalayan griffon included in this study died due to diclofenac poisoning. Studies have indicated that diclofenac can continue to kill vultures even after its ban in India for veterinary use.

Incidences of mortality of Indian peafowl Pavo cristatus, the national bird (Schedule I Indian Wild Life Protection Act 1972), are rampant in India. Between January 2011 and March 2017, around 550 peafowl in 35 incidences were reported dead across the country. Due to the non-availability of fresh carcases, poisoning could not be confirmed. Birds which died due to kite string injuries in Ahmedabad (15) and accidents in Coimbatore (5) were tested for residues of chlorinated pesticides, namely hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), endosulfan, heptachlor, dicofol, dieldrin and cholipyrifos. The liver, kidney and muscle were the tissues considered to document pesticide load. Total load ranged from BDL to 388.2 ng/g. DDT (95%) and HCH (80%) were detected more frequently. DDT (40%) and endosulfan (26%) contributed maximum to the total pesticide load followed by HCH (21%). Pesticide accumulation pattern among the organs was in the order of liver (123.9 ng/g) > kidney (91.9 ng/g) > muscle (19.5 ng/g) with significant difference (p < 0.05). Peafowl from Ahmedabad had significantly (p < 0.05) higher level of total pesticide (149.0 ng/g) than birds from Coimbatore (47.8 ng/g). Although varying levels of chlorinated pesticide were detected, they were below reported toxic limits. Nevertheless, persistence of chlorinated pesticides and poisoning due to modern pesticides across the entire distribution range of Peafowl in India is a cause for concern.

Catastrophic population decline of White-rumped Vulture due to use of a non-steroidal anti-in ammatory drug (NSAID), diclofenac throughout its distribution range is well documented. White-rumped Vulture was listed as Critically Endangered and only few thousands are remining. During 2019, there were two incidents of White-rumped Vulture death in Gujarat. In February 2019, two vultures were reported dead in Sanand, Gujarat and the death was suspected to be poisoning. Another two vultures were also reported to have died in Wild Ass Sanctuary, Dhrangadhra in October 2019. Tissues and gut contents of all four vultures were received for toxicological investigation and checked whether these vultures died due to NSAIDs. The tissues were analysed for thirteen NSAIDs.Of all the NSAIDs, nimesulide was detected in all the tissues analyzed in high concentration (17 -1395 ng/g). Subsequently, these tissues were also screened for a set of mostly used toxic pesticides in India, and none of them was in toxic level. Visceral gout was also observed in all the four vultures during postmortem. Elevated levels of nimesulide in tissues with clear symptoms of gout, indicated that the vultures died due to nimesulide poisoning. Although, other than diclofenac, many NSAIDs are toxic/suspected to be toxic to White-rumped Vultures, only nimesulide is reported with clear symptom of gout in wild dead White-rumped Vultures similar to diclofenac consistently in recent past. Considering the fact that nimesulide also acts similar to diclofenac leading to death in White-rumped Vulture, it seems that nimesulide is replacing diclofenac in case of White-rumped Vulture in Gujarat. Nimesulide is cause of concern in conservation of White-rumped Vultures. Hence, nimesulide should also be banned by the government for veterinary use in addition to diclofenac to conserve White-rumped Vulture in Indian subcontinent. Further, an effective system is recommended to be put in place to collect the tissues of dead Vultures for toxicological investigations, and eventual conservation of the critically endangered species.

Catastrophic population decline of White-rumped Vulture due to use of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), diclofenac throughout its distribution range is well documented. White-rumped Vulture was listed as Critically Endangered and only few thousands are remining. During 2019, there were two incidents of White-rumped Vulture death in Gujarat. In February 2019, two vultures were reported dead in Sanand, Gujarat and the death was suspected to be poisoning. Another two vultures were also reported to have died in Wild Ass Sanctuary, Dhrangadhra in October 2019. Tissues and gut contents of all four vultures were received for toxicological investigation and checked whether these vultures died due to NSAIDs. The tissues were analysed for thirteen NSAIDs. Of all the NSAIDs, nimesulide was detected in all the tissues analyzed in high concentration (17 - 1395 ng/g). Subsequently, these tissues were also screened for a set of mostly used toxic pesticides in India, and none of them was in toxic level. Visceral gout was also observed in all the four vultures during post-mortem. Elevated levels of nimesulide in tissues with clear symptoms of gout, indicated that the vultures died due to nimesulide poisoning. Although, other than diclofenac, many NSAIDs are toxic/suspected to be toxic to White-rumped Vultures, only nimesulide is reported with clear symptom of gout in wild dead White-rumped Vultures similar to diclofenac consistently in recent past. Considering the fact that nimesulide also acts similar to diclofenac leading to death in White-rumped Vulture, it seems that nimesulide is replacing diclofenac in case of White-rumped Vulture in Gujarat. Nimesulide is cause of concern in conservation of White-rumped Vultures. Hence, nimesulide should also be banned by the government for veterinary use in addition to diclofenac to conserve White-rumped Vulture in Indian subcontinent. Further, an effective system is recommended to be put in place to collect the tissues of dead Vultures for toxicological investigations, and eventual conservation of the critically endangered species.