Interesting Article On The Effects In India Of The Massive Reduction In Vulture Numbers

[spike.t]

Indian vultures: Decline of scavenger birds caused 500,000 human deaths

A new study links the vulture decline in India to deadly bacteria spread, causing about 500,000 deaths.

www.bbc.com

 

[HankBuck]

Indian vultures: Decline of scavenger birds caused 500,000 human deaths

A new study links the vulture decline in India to deadly bacteria spread, causing about 500,000 deaths.

www.bbc.com

@spike.t - that was an interesting study and unusual subject matter. I was surprised at the overall numbers - 50 million Vultures ! If I read the study correctly, a large part of these vultures diet consisted of live stock “cattle” and landfill garbage - both are Not natural food sources found in Nature. It would seem that the Vulture populations were significantly “inflated” beyond what would have occurred naturally.
Lots of issues in play affecting health beyond loss of vulture population but unique in that Vultures seemed to provide a helpful solution.

 

[spike.t]

@spike.t - that was an interesting study and unusual subject matter. I was surprised at the overall numbers - 50 million Vultures ! If I read the study correctly, a large part of these vultures diet consisted of live stock “cattle” and landfill garbage - both are Not natural food sources found in Nature. It would seem that the Vulture populations were significantly “inflated” beyond what would have occurred naturally.
Lots of issues in play affecting health beyond loss of vulture population but unique in that Vultures seemed to provide a helpful solution.

With the amount of cattle there something needs to clean up the carcasses ....not only live stock but everything else....and the diclofenic used to treat cattle is the major issue.....this problem of loss of vultures applies to african countries as well ...the vulture populations have been hammered....they are natures sanitary crew and without them things as have been shown in India aren't good....they get poisoned by poachers as give away where dead animals are ,and for using parts in witchcraft ....there are projects in different african countries trying to stop the decline in numbers....but bit of losing battle....even in European countries there are problems for vultures....from memory Spain is one...maybe @Nyati knows bit more about the issues there

 

[Hank2211]

Really interesting read. This reinforces what we generally intuitively know - but equally generally forget - that nature is one interdependent system.

What many also seem to forget - or want to forget - is that humans are as much a part of those systems as any other living thing. To want to return to a 'state of nature' where there are no human (or humanoid) impacts on nature is to live in a fantasy which never existed.

 

[Nyati]

With the amount of cattle there something needs to clean up the carcasses ....not only live stock but everything else....and the diclofenic used to treat cattle is the major issue.....this problem of loss of vultures applies to african countries as well ...the vulture populations have been hammered....they are natures sanitary crew and without them things as have been shown in India aren't good....they get poisoned by poachers as give away where dead animals are ,and for using parts in witchcraft ....there are projects in different african countries trying to stop the decline in numbers....but bit of losing battle....even in European countries there are problems for vultures....from memory Spain is one...maybe @Nyati knows bit more about the issues there

That is right Mike, we have had a large number of vultures which cleaned the fields, of both wild and farm animals.

But that was when we had a central government, now we have 17 regional autonomies, and each has its own laws on hunting and nature conservation.

In some you may leave carcasses in the field, where the vultures may feed, and in others you are required to remove them, and the vultures and other scavengers will face hunger.

 

[steve white]

In Texas we are being invaded by the Mexican black headed buzzards. Plenty of them up on the high church roof. Since a group of roosted buzzards is called a "committee" I told the folks I saw a committee having a meeting on the church roof.

 

[steve white]

Concerning India, I didn't know they had so many lawyers, and now a massive reduction in their numbers...sad...lol