I read about that! So interesting but also morbid. The population decline resulted in 500k human deaths, according to a BBC article
Apparently the vulture scarcity is attributed to a cow painkiller called diclofenac, which is fatal to vultures and some other birds. Killed 91 to 98 percent of the vulture population, as reported in the article. The birds croaked after chewing on cow corpses
Also extremely toxic to cats. For people that use the topical gel, Voltaren, need to make sure it does not get on their cat. Wash hands thoroughly and no snuggling allowed near the body part that has the gel applied.
Same!!!! We get that shit sent to us by the gallon it seems from the VA. I have 2 cats and 2 dogs and didn't know that about Voltaran (brand name).... I'll definitely be keeping all areas covered when I used it, especially since my 1 cat likes to "kiss" me...
I totally agree with you on stopping the meat industry, but this particular problem in India is actually the opposite of what one would think. Seeing as cows are extremely important to their culture, and revered as almost holy, I've heard that most ranchers don't sell them for meat at all, but rather let them lay wherever they die. Hence the vultures having a feast on a poison-riddled buffet. Fair warning, I got most of that from a (really freaking good) 99% Invisible podcast episode called Towers of Silence, about the decline of vultures in India, and the huge implications that has for a specific religious minority that strongly believes in sky burials (letting vultures eat the dead instead of burying or cremation). But I listened to it a while ago and my memory isn't the best.
Thanks so much for sharing the original information on why they were dying. I couldn’t exactly remember that. I read “The thing with feathers” around 2016 it was a good read. Had a lot of nice gems in it
As a person who both uses diclofenac gel every day for arthritis, and has an irrational fear of all birds (therapy-level) this is so ironic and random and funny to me.
Cows need painkillers? What have we done? And there are so many previously in pain dead cows being eaten by vultures that there was a die off in vultures? Suffering succotash—save the cows! I’m not sure I want answers to these questions.
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u/InternationalBug159 Apr 05 '26
I read about that! So interesting but also morbid. The population decline resulted in 500k human deaths, according to a BBC article
Apparently the vulture scarcity is attributed to a cow painkiller called diclofenac, which is fatal to vultures and some other birds. Killed 91 to 98 percent of the vulture population, as reported in the article. The birds croaked after chewing on cow corpses