AR-News: (Nepal) Disappearing Bird

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

Due to the indiscriminate use of Diclofenac, the population of vulture has 
drastically reduced triggering fear of its extinction from the South Asian 
region 
By KESHAB POUDEL 
Sanu Khadgi, a traditional butcher who sells the buffalo meat, has not seen 
vultures along the riverbanks of Bishnumati for the last one year. “There used 
to be dozens of vultures in and around the river sides till a few years back 
but I have not seen them feeding on carcasses of cattle and dogs these days,” 
he said. 
Bishnumati riverside is not the only place that has witnessed the slide in 
the vulture number resulting in growing heaps of animal carcasses. Many other 
riverbanks have similar problems. “We used to see vultures swooping down on our 
dead cattle whenever we threw them at the riverside,” said Bal Krishna 
Pudashaini of Kandaghari. 
>From dumping sites to riverbanks, the population of vultures in Kathmandu 
valley has drastically declined but only a few people have noticed what has gone 
wrong with the vulture population. 


full story:

http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishweekly/spotlight/2004/mar/mar05/na
tional2.htm 
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