Govt to take major step to save vultures

The government is keen to conserve many wildlife species that are on the verge of extinction, said Shahab Uddin, minister for environment, forest and climate change, yesterday. “Even birds like the vulture are in the list. The government is already working with South Asian countries to prevent the vulture from being extinct,” the minister added.

Shahab Uddin was addressing a conference on ‘conservation of vultures in the South Asian region’, held at a city hotel. Representatives from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Cambodia took part in the conference. Environment, forest and climate change deputy minister Habibun Nahar, environment ministry secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury,chief forest conservator Shafiul Alam Chowdhury and IUCN deputy regional director Dr Tejpal Singh also spoke at the conference.

According to the speakers, white-rumped vultures have almost disappeared from Bangladesh. Many other species are facing a similar situation in other South Asian countries. Loss of natural habitats and scarcity of food are the main reasons behind the rapid disappearance of vultures in South Asia, they pointed out.

White-rumped vultures mainly feed on cattle carcasses.

The speakers blamed the fall in the number of vultures on the presence of toxic chemicals in cattle cadavers. Diclofenac and ketoprofen, two banned medicines that are still fed to cattle to fatten them, can fatally harm vultures that later feed on the animals.

“Our government has taken steps to conserve the vulture. We already banned diclofenac in 2010 in a bid to save the birds of prey. Bangladesh is also implementing all the initiatives taken by other nations to conserve vultures,” said Shahab Uddin.

According to the minister, the government has already declared Sylhet and the Sundarbans as safe zones for vultures.

The environment, forest and climate change ministry formed a committee in 2013 for preserving vultures, the minister said, adding that a long-term action plan has also been taken to conserve the endangered species.

Prof. Rice Green of Cambridge University presented a keynote paper on regional initiatives to conserve vultures. He said though the diclofenac medicine, harmful for vultures, was banned, same type of medicines were still being marketed. “So, it's necessary to stop the marketing and transportation of medicines,” he added.

The extinction of vultures is bound to adversely affect Bangladesh's biodiversity, the speakers observed.

Rabies and anthrax would become endemic due to the disappearance of vultures as no other species are immune to botulism and Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax. The creature is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List.

 

Govt to take major step to save vultures

The government is keen to conserve many wildlife species that are on the verge of extinction, said Shahab Uddin, minister for environment, forest and climate change, yesterday. Even birds like the vulture are in the list. The government is already working with South Asian countries to prevent the vulture from being extinct, the minister added. Shahab Uddin was addressing a conference on conservation of vultures in the South Asian region, held at a city hotel. Representatives from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Cambodia took part in the conference. Environment, forest and climate change deputy minister Habibun Nahar, environment ministry secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury,chief forest conservator Shafiul Alam Chowdhury and IUCN deputy regional director Dr Tejpal Singh also spoke at the conference. According to the speakers, white-rumped vultures have almost disappeared from Bangladesh. Many other species are facing a similar situation in other South Asian countries. Loss of natural habitats and scarcity of food are the main reasons behind the rapid disappearance of vultures in South Asia, they pointed out. White-rumped vultures mainly feed on cattle carcasses. The speakers blamed the fall in the number of vultures on the presence of toxic chemicals in cattle cadavers. Diclofenac and ketoprofen, two banned medicines that are still fed to cattle to fatten them, can fatally harm vultures that later feed on the animals. Our government has taken steps to conserve the vulture. We already banned diclofenac in 2010 in a bid to save the birds of prey. Bangladesh is also implementing all the initiatives taken by other nations to conserve vultures, said Shahab Uddin. According to the minister, the government has already declared Sylhet and the Sundarbans as safe zones for vultures. The environment, forest and climate change ministry formed a committee in 2013 for preserving vultures, the minister said, adding that a long-term action plan has also been taken to conserve the endangered species. Prof. Rice Green of Cambridge University presented a keynote paper on regional initiatives to conserve vultures. He said though the diclofenac medicine, harmful for vultures, was banned, same type of medicines were still being marketed. So, its necessary to stop the marketing and transportation of medicines, he added. The extinction of vultures is bound to adversely affect Bangladeshs biodiversity, the speakers observed. Rabies and anthrax would become endemic due to the disappearance of vultures as no other species are immune to botulism and Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax. The creature is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List.