If you have ever lived in North India-you would have noticed omnipresent vultures , also called "Gidhhs". Unfortunately they are in decline since last decade.Smithsonian reports about vulture decline in its February issue.
http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2007/february/vulture.php
These much hated, but must for enviornment are now in extinction danger.These birds eat on rotting carcasses. Just 15 years ago-these birds were in abundance.
99% of existing vultures have died in Indian subcontinent.All my early childhood memories contain this "giddh" bird in it.
As many as 100 vultures may feed on a single cow carcass, stripping it clean in 30 minutes. Two thousand, 3,000, even 10,000 vultures swarmed the larger dumps in the early 1990s, the huge birds lapping at carcasses with their leathery tongues, thrusting their narrow heads neck-deep to reach internal organs, tussling over choice gobbets of meat. Year after year, Rahmani says, five million to ten million cow, camel and buffalo carcasses disappeared neatly down the gullets of India's vultures.
Veterinary pain killer drug diclofenac given to cattle, caused kidney failures in these vulture. Only 0.8% of cattle needs to have heavier dose of diclofenac in it. Vulture eat carcasses of these cattles and quickly develop kidney failure and die.Diclofenac doesn't hurt dogs.
Even though now diclofenac is now banned for veterniary use, it is too late for vultures.Their probability of surviving is extremely low.
Without vultures, dogs have increased, as these dogs are eating rotting flesh of cows.
