Why is it said that the red-headed vulture population is decreasing because of poisoning?

 

               Red-headed vultures, or the Asian king vultures, are wild birds native to the Indian sub-continent. Typically, they feed on the decaying flesh of dead animals.

               Although once seen throughout the Indian subcontinent and South-east Asia, these vultures have undergone a serious decline in population and range. They can be seen in some areas of India, especially in the west Himalayan foothills, and rarely in Pakistan, Laos and Nepal.

               There are many reasons attributed to the falling population of red-headed vultures. One of the most important reasons is poisoning. Scientists say that the serious fall in population that occurred in the 1990s was caused by the presence of diclofenac. It is a veterinary drug that used to treat livestock. Those vultures that fed on the dead bodies of these livestock, soon died. This unfortunate series of events is said to have reduced the number of vultures by half.

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