‘The Vulture’ – Griffon Vulture at the Hawk Conservancy Trust

Vultures are undoubtedly the most misunderstood group in the raptor family, falling foul of our own anthropomorphized prejudices towards the natural world: Why care about a ugly, demonic-looking bird that feasts on rotting flesh? The truth is, vultures are an essential part of the ecosystems they belong to and without them disease would be far more rampant with all the huge carcasses hanging around for much longer than they should. Unfortunately, some areas may have this problem sooner than they might think, with diclofenac poisoning from livestock carcasses affecting populations in India and Pakistan. Diclofenac is a drug used to improve the strength of weak or old animals, but it remains within them after death. This leads to poisoning of the vultures when they consume the carcasses, and declines of 95% in the vulture population have been recorded where diclofenac is used.
Fortunately, conservation groups such as the Hawk Conservancy Trust (where this photo was taken) have been raising awareness of the plight to the point where it was banned in India in 2006. However, it is still in use in other parts of the globe, so there is no room for complacency yet.