10/04/2026
There was a time, not very long ago, when vultures were a common sight across India. In the early 90s, the skies were full of them — quietly doing a job no one else could.
Then came a sudden collapse.
A single veterinary drug, Diclofenac, wiped out **more than 95%** of their population within a decade. What was once ordinary became rare… almost gone.
Years later, after bans, conservation work, and awareness, things were finally starting to improve. Slowly, very slowly, vultures began returning.
But now, a fresh tragedy.
In the buffer area of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, around **25 vultures were found dead** in a single incident. The reason — **secondary poisoning**.
Here’s how it happens:
Poison is kept out to kill stray animals.
Those animals die.
Vultures feed on the carcass.
And the poison travels up the food chain… killing them too.
One action, multiple deaths.
This is what makes it so dangerous — vultures often feed in groups. So one poisoned carcass can wipe out an entire local population.
And if this continues, vultures won’t just die — they will **disappear from that region**. They will migrate away, or worse, never return.
The impact? It comes back to us.
Without vultures, carcasses remain longer, stray dog populations rise, and the risk of diseases increases.
We once lost them almost completely.
Right now, we are at a point where we can either protect what’s left… or repeat the same mistake.
