TY - JOUR
T1 - Diclofenac poisoning is widespread in declining vulture populations across the Indian subcontinent
AU - Shultz, Susanne
AU - Baral, Hem Sagar
AU - Charman, Sheonaidh
AU - Cunningham, Andrew A.
AU - Das, Devojit
AU - Ghalsasi, G. R.
AU - Goudar, Mallikarjun S.
AU - Green, Rhys E.
AU - Jones, Ainsley
AU - Nighot, Prashant
AU - Pain, Deborah J.
AU - Prakash, Vibhu
PY - 2004/12/7
Y1 - 2004/12/7
N2 - Recent declines in the populations of three species of vultures in the Indian subcontinent are among the most rapid ever recorded in any bird species. Evidence from a previous study of one of these species, Gyps bengalensis, in the Punjab province of Pakistan, strongly implicates mortality caused by ingestion of residues of the veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac as the major cause of the decline. We show that a high proportion of Gyps bengalensis and G. indicus found dead or dying in a much larger area of India and Nepal also have residues of diclofenac and visceral gout, a postmortem finding that is strongly associated with diclofenac contamination in both species. Hence, veterinary use of diclofenac is likely to have been the major cause of the rapid vulture population declines across the subcontinent.
AB - Recent declines in the populations of three species of vultures in the Indian subcontinent are among the most rapid ever recorded in any bird species. Evidence from a previous study of one of these species, Gyps bengalensis, in the Punjab province of Pakistan, strongly implicates mortality caused by ingestion of residues of the veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac as the major cause of the decline. We show that a high proportion of Gyps bengalensis and G. indicus found dead or dying in a much larger area of India and Nepal also have residues of diclofenac and visceral gout, a postmortem finding that is strongly associated with diclofenac contamination in both species. Hence, veterinary use of diclofenac is likely to have been the major cause of the rapid vulture population declines across the subcontinent.
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U2 - 10.1098/rsbl.2004.0223
DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2004.0223
M3 - Article
C2 - 15801603
AN - SCOPUS:20144387376
SN - 0962-8452
VL - 271
SP - S458-S460
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - SUPPL. 6
ER -