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Monica Sood
New Delhi, April 2
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TAKING
A strong stand on the government’s
apathy towards the rapid extinction
of vultures in the country, Mike
Pandey, film-maker and
conservationalist, recently screened
his film,
Vanishing Vultures.
Following a research-finding that
the widely used diclofenac is the
cause of the drastic decline of
vulture population, Pandey’s film
tracks nature’s most resilient
scavenger’s journey across several
states in the country.
Diclofenac is used as pain reliever
and anti-inflammatory veterinary
medicine. |
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Research has shownthat if an animal under
treatment of this drug dies, the
carcass eaten by a vulture affects
the vulture’s kidneys, leading to
visceral gout and ultimately death. Diclofenac is used extensively by
farmers because of its low cost. Its
substitute, Meloxicam, has no
side-effects and has proved safe for
vultures. However, it costs double.
Despite Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh’s |
directive to phase out the lethal drug, no
concreted step has been taken so far.According to Pandey, “While the
various ministries involved take
their time to untangle the issue and
come to some agreement, the vulture
will have disappeared forever.”
The film also highlights a
heartening effort by the Ministry of
Environment, Harayan, in setting up
the first Vulture Conservation
and Breeding Centre at
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Pinjore in collaboration with the Bombay
Natural History Society (BNHS) and UK-based
agencies.
The issue of the dwindling the number of
vultures has also taken a m0roe urgent note
with bird flu being reported from many parts
of the country.
“Absence of vultures will lead to lakhs of
decaying carcasses which will litter our
roads and countrysides creating a breeding
ground for thousands of unknown diseases and
lethal bacteria, “said Pandey. |
