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Q25 (IAS/2012) Environment & Ecology › Biodiversity & Protected Areas › Threatened species conservation Answer Verified

Vultures which used to be very common in Indian countryside some years ago are rarely seen nowadays. This is attributed to

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: B
Explanation

The catastrophic decline of vultures in India is primarily attributed to the veterinary use of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat cattle [2]. Vultures are exposed to this drug when they scavenge on the carcasses of livestock treated with diclofenac shortly before death [5]. The drug is highly toxic to vultures, causing severe kidney failure and visceral gout, leading to death within days [4]. This phenomenon resulted in a population crash of up to 99% for species like the Oriental white-backed vulture [6]. While other factors like food scarcity and habitat loss exist, diclofenac is recognized as the main driver of the collapse [5]. Consequently, the Indian government banned the veterinary use of diclofenac in 2006 and promoted meloxicam as a safe alternative [3].

Sources

  1. [1] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > project vulture > p. 47
  2. [2] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 16: Conservation Efforts > 16.4.12. Measures taken to Conserve Vultures > p. 238
  3. [4] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1351921/
  4. [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_vulture_crisis
  5. [6] https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/12/17/getting-vultures-back-in-southern-india
  6. [3] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 16: Conservation Efforts > 16.4.3. Banned but still in use > p. 236
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