September 5, 2026, marks International Vulture Awareness Day. The birds have suffered one of the steepest declines in recent times of any bird or animal in India. Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Wildlife & Biodiversity

India’s vultures need not just conservation programmes but also protected landscapes

In addition to chemicals, electrocution is now emerging as a threat to these avian scavengers

Vikas Choudhary

Thirty years ago, the vulture in India suffered a death knell of sorts to its existence. Diclofenac, a painkiller used for cattle, destroyed the kidneys of Indian vultures. Millions died as a result.

Chemicals like diclofenac killed millions of Indian vultures in the 1990s. They were replaced by feral dogs, leading to spikes in rabies and subsequent human mortality.

This caused a rise in feral dog populations in turn leading to a spike in rabies and human mortality.

Since then, the Indian government has banned diclofenac and a number of other Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

Today, efforts are on to bring vultures back to the wilds of India. But these can only be successful if the habitats are themselves safe.

Conservation programmes across India are now breeding vultures in captivity and releasing them in the wild.

However, with electrocution also rising as a threat to vultures in addition to chemicals, their future in India depends on ensuring that the landscapes into which they are released are safe.