Bleak future

The team of Indian and British researchers say the unprecedented demise is a result of the birds being poisoned by traces of the anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac, in animal carcasses. Although India's government banned the manufacture of the drug in 2006, Dr Cunningham said the measure has had little impact. "They have only banned its manufacture for veterinary treatments," he explained, "the manufacture for medical treatments are unaffected by this ban. It is going to be a long, long haul over the next 15-20 years before we get anywhere near to being able to release any birds Andrew Cunningham Zoological Society of London "The treatment of animals with diclofenac also hasn't been banned, so people are now just using the medical version to treat animals rather than buying the veterinary one." It also appears as if the drug is still being imported from producers in other countries, which means fresh supplies are making their way onto the market. A few years ago, researchers identified an alternative drug called meloxicam that was not toxic to vultures. But the take-up of meloxicam was inhibited because it was about twice the price of diclofenac. However, as more companies began to produce the vulture-safe alternative, the price fell. "The price difference is not as much as a problem as it appeared to be two or three years ago," observed Dr Cunningham. "It appears to be a painfully slow process, and far too slow to be sure that the vultures are going to survive."