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  Mike Pandey
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Deccan Herald

Edition :  New Delhi

Date : March 20, 2006

One for the vanishing vultures

BY UTPAL BORPUJARI

 Pandey added, “vultures are a product of many years of complex evolution and are an extremely important link in the food chain as they play a vital role in the decomposition of carcasses that would otherwise spread innumerable diseases.”

Commented Shah, “They are symbols of spirit and matter, signify balance and harmony and ensure continuity of health and life in other human beings. We need to reach out to rural areas where this drug is used in enormous amounts and educate the people on the ill effects of this killer drug and the substitutes available.”

Since these birds are slow breeding and long living, if their average life is cut short drastically, it wont be long before various species of vultures start moving from the ‘critically  endangered’ list to the ‘extinct’ list.

Isha Singh Sawhney

Conservationist and wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey, who is well-known for espousing the cause of endangered animals, has now diverted his attention to the plight of the vultures who are disappearing faster than any one would have ever thought.

       At the screening of his documentary, Vanishing Vultures, at the British Council recently, Pandey said: “Diclofenac has been identified as the silent killer of vultures when they eat the dead bodies of the cattle.”

    Those present at the screening included Rod Pryde, director of the British Council, Asad Rehmani, director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Nita Shah, also from the BNHS, social activist Nafisa Ali among others. Talking about the subject,

Top: (From left) Rod Pryde, director of the British Council, wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey and Asad Rehmani, director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS); Above: Nita Shah from BNHS makes a point

 
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