The population of the Indian vulture, which was estimated to have numbered 40 million in the 1980s, declined by more than 97% in the 1990s. This was caused by the poisoning and death of Indian vultures as a result of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug called diclofenac administered to domestic cattle, which was ingested into their bodies through the carcasses of the cattle.
The subsequent disappearance of Indian vultures led to an increase in the number of wild dogs eating rotting cow carcasses and the spread of rabies in India. More than 50,000 people died of rabies in India, and the economic loss caused by the disappearance of the vultures amounted to Approximately 5 billion US dollars.
Today, diclofenac is banned in India, and population breeding of Indian vultures is being attempted. Finally, mature individuals have been returned to the wild. However, vultures take a long time to grow, and only about one egg is laid per year. Whether or not the Indian vultures will be able to return depends on human efforts in the future.
