UPSC Prelims 2012 Q100: Environment & Ecology – Biodiversity & Conservation
Vultures, which used to be very common in Indian countryside some years ago, are rarely
seen nowadays. This is attributed to
- (a) the destruction of their nesting sites by new invasive species
- (b) a drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle
- (c) scarcity of food available to them
- (d) a widespread, persistent and fatal disease among them
Answer: (b) a drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle
Explanation
Why vultures vanished from the Indian countryside
The cause was diclofenac, a painkiller given to sick cattle.
Vultures that fed on the carcasses of treated cattle died of kidney failure.
| Option | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| (a) the destruction of their nesting sites by new invasive species | Incorrect | Not the cause |
| (b) a drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle | Correct | Diclofenac |
| (c) scarcity of food available to them | Incorrect | Carcasses were plentiful |
| (d) a widespread, persistent and fatal disease among them | Incorrect | It was poisoning, not an infection |
What was done:
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ban | Veterinary use of diclofenac banned in 2006 |
| Safe substitute | Meloxicam |
| Breeding centre | Pinjore, Haryana |
| Worst hit | White-rumped, long-billed and slender-billed vultures; numbers fell by over 95 per cent |
Answer: (b) a drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Invasive species did not destroy their nesting sites.
- (b) CORRECT. The drug diclofenac, used on cattle, poisoned the vultures.
- (c) Incorrect. There was no scarcity of food; the food itself was poisoned.
- (d) Incorrect. No fatal disease was spreading among them; the deaths were due to a drug.
Key point
Vulture decline: diclofenac in cattle carcasses caused kidney failure; veterinary use banned in 2006; meloxicam is the safe substitute; breeding centre at Pinjore.
Remember
Diclofenac killed the vultures; banned in 2006.
Common mistakes
- Blaming a disease; early studies suspected one, but the drug was the cause.
- Thinking vultures starved for want of food.
- Not knowing the name diclofenac, a frequent exam fact.
Exam tip
Vultures and diclofenac go together. Any option about a cattle drug is the answer.
Sources
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change — Action Plan for Vulture Conservation in India
- Bombay Natural History Society — Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme