But best-ever year at captive breeding centres as number of fledged young almost doubles September 2011: More than a third of Indian pharmacies are flouting a ban on a veterinary drug that has brought the country's vultures to the brink of extinction, according to a new study.
The manufacture and sale of diclofenac for veterinary use has been illegal since 2006, but farmers and livestock owners are purchasing human diclofenac illegally in conveniently large bottles to treat their cattle.
This is difficult to prevent, given the wide availability of the drug. Some of the other diclofenac on sale was formulated for veterinary use and had been manufactured illegally after the 2006 ban.
Dramatic decline in numbersDiclofenac is responsible for all-but wiping out three species of Gyps vultures, endemic to South Asia. The population crash of these vultures was first noted in the late 1990s. Since then their rate of decline has been steeper than nearly any other bird species, including the infamous dodo.
The Indian Government banned diclofenac veterinary use in May 2006 with bans in Nepal and Pakistan the same year. Further measures in India, in August 2008, placed additional restrictions prohibiting the manufacture, sale and distribution of diclofenac and its formulations for animal use with contravention being punishable with imprisonment.
The research to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2006 ban was conducted by surveys in more than 250 veterinary and general pharmacy shops in 11 Indian states from November 2007 to June 2010. The surveyors asked if they could buy non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treating cattle. Diclofenac was recorded in 36 per cent of shops asked.
Banned drug still for sale in conveniently large quantitiesLead author and principal conservation scientist at the RSPB, Dr Richard Cuthbert, said: ‘The ban is still quite easy to avoid because human formulations are still freely for sale in large vials which are convenient for use on large animals such as cattle and clearly not suitable for human use. Preventing the misuse of human diclofenac for veterinary use remains the main challenge in halting the decline of endangered vultures.'
While the research shows that there is still widespread availability of diclofenac after the ban, encouragingly it also shows an increase in meloxicam (found in 70 per cent of pharmacies), a drug that has very similar therapeutic effects on cattle as diclofenac but which has been proven to be safe to vultures.
Dr Vibhu Prakash of the Bombay Natural History Society, and co-author said: ‘Firm action at Government level against pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical shops that are breaking the law by manufacturing and selling diclofenac for veterinary use is urgently needed if we are to save vultures from extinction.'
RSPB breeding success with 'double clutches'In contrast to the disheartening results from this research, the RSPB is happy to report the most successful year yet at the Indian captive breeding centres as the number of fledged chicks is up almost double on last year. Eighteen vulture chicks have been successfully reared in captivity in 2011 - the largest annual total to date.
Another first for the captive breeding centre this year is a number of ‘double clutches', meaning some pairs produced a second egg and chick, as the first was removed, hatched in incubators and reared by the highly trained BNHS staff.
The Bombay Natural History Society, with support from the RSPB and newly-formed consortium Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction (SAVE) manages three conservation breeding centres in India where 271 vultures are housed and successful breeding of all three species has now occurred.
Chris Bowden, the RSPB's head of vulture programme and SAVE spokesperson said: ‘Three species of south Asia's vultures are heading for extinction so we have to act now. With the latest success at the breeding centres we're more confident than ever that there will be sufficient numbers for reintroduction to the wild as soon as it's safe for them, but until diclofenac stops being produced and sold for veterinary use we cannot guarantee these birds have any future in the wild.
'We're on the right track, but there is a long way still to go.'
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/vulture-drug-ban%20.html
No comments:
Post a Comment