WWF – Pakistan arranged a workshop to safe vultures from extinction.

WWF – Pakistan in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment and IUCN – Pakistan arranged a one day workshop on the Vulture Conservation at its Head Office on the 2nd September, 2004. Senior officials from Punjab Wildlife Department, NWFP Wildlife Department, Sindh Wildlife Department, Livestock and Diary Development Department, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ministry of Health, Ornithological Society of Pakistan, Bahauddin Zakaria University, Multan, The Peregrine Fund and Veterinary drugs manufacturers attended this workshop. The key notes at the workshop were given by Brig Mukhtar Ahmed, Vice President WWF Emeritus and Dr. Manzoor Ahmed, Vice Chancellor of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

The main objective of this workshop was to bring together all the stakeholders to address the catastrophic vulture decline in South Asia which is likely to be caused by a drug called Diclofenac. 90% decline is observed in the population of vultures in South Asia and now they are regarded as critically endangered. Diclofenac is a widely used drug in livestock and accumulates in the kidneys of vultures when they feed on carcasses and eventually leads to their death. Research has shown that one in 250 carcasses is enough to cause this accelerated decline. This is mainly because vultures range widely and feed communally. Recommendations from this workshop will help in developing the conservation plan for this species. Vultures have an extremely important ecological role as they are sanitizer of nature and their decline will eventually increase the stray dog population which is also a health hazard for human communities. These species also have religious importance to Parsis communities.