Finally, Ban On Drugs To Halt Vulture Decline In India

NEW DELHI, (IANS) – India has finally imposed a long-awaited ban on two veterinary painkillers ketoprofen and aceclofenac drugs, considered a commonly used drug for cattle but deadly for vultures, to rapidly halt current population declines in four vulture species that have declined by up to 99.9 percent.

This decision is being seen as the biggest step since 2006 when the government banned the veterinary use of diclofenac which almost completely wiped-out vulture populations across Asia since the 1990s.

Both newly banned drugs are frequently used by vets to treat cattle across the region in place of the earlier banned diclofenac, vulture experts said.

The Drugs Technical Advisory Board of India has recommended a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and distribution of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as they are as toxic as the banned diclofenac.

Hailing the decision, Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction program, a consortium of regional and international organizations, welcomed the legal reinforcement of national bans of the two veterinary drugs.