Vulture saviours
"Shortage of food is not killing vultures, it is diclofenac. It caused more than 95 per cent decline in vulture population during the last 15 years. This terrible situation can arise even if five out off 1,000 carcasses are contaminated with diclofenac,' says ornithologist Hem Sagar Baral. Apart from running a vulture restaurant, Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) is also campaigning to remove the drug from the market. Nepal has, of course, banned the import and production of diclofenac. But, according to Baral, the sale of the drug has not stopped. A BCN survey found that the drug was easily available in Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Dang, Banke, Bardia, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts. "Enforcement has remained weak,' says Baral. BCN researchers also found that two pharmaceutical companies