From a mere 60 or so, the vulture population in Hazaribagh has climbed to 300-plus, the convenor of the NGO Neo-Human Foundation, Satya Prakash, said.
Not surprisingly Hazaribagh has recently been declared by the authorities as 'Vulture Safe Zone' where the winged scavengers feed on dead cattle without having to die later.
"The role played by vultures in keeping environment safe by feeding off carcasses and scavenging rubbish cannot be overemphasised and veterinary doctors and chemists have a significant important role in protecting the birds by not prescribing diclofenac medicines," Prakash says.
It has been found that pharmacies in the country continue to sell the medicine, which has been banned in India in 2006, to livestock owners, resulting in the dramatic fall in the number of vultures.
A study reported by BirdLife International has found that diclofenac is responsible for pushing three south Asian species of vultures to the brink of extinction. MORE
