Vultures crash out of the Indian skyscape

A catastrophic decline in the number of Asian vultures due to the continued use of drugs in livestock means the noble, if picky, birds could be extinct within a decade. A research project by the Bombay Natural History Society across India, Pakistan, and Nepal, showed that overall numbers of Asian vultures are declining by 50 …

[Richard]

Picky?

Vultures? Picky?

[Daniel Bennett]

Could be....

Vultures crash out of the Indian skyscape

Could be extinct in a decade?

So if they go slowly out the sky, then they will take much longer to be extinct!

Or put trampolines on the ground?

[Pete mcQuail]

So

...no more beefburgers with your pint for you lot at Reg central then.

[Senor Beavis]

Just wanted to use the icon

That is all

[Anonymous Coward]

Other problems

Because vultures are so swift and efficient at disposing of carrion there was almost no opportunity for dead animals to rot, attract vermin and contaminate water supplies. Now with fewer vultures, the carcasses are real health hazard and are attracting large numbers of rats and feral dogs - both of which carry seriously nasty diseases like plague and rabies. So the vulture might take a good number of people with it.

Any chance the Reg and its readers could help sponsor some of the work to save the vultures?

Which are much nicer animals than you might think. Surprisingly clean and elegant. (I can only speak first hand about the vultures, I'm much less sure about members of the Register's staff)

[Thomas]

@ Mike Richards

"Any chance the Reg and its readers could help sponsor some of the work to save the vultures?"

I whole-heartedly agree with this idea - I'm sure there are a few captive breeding programmes running, even one or two in the UK and a Paypal link pledging a quid or two to such a program would go for miles with the number of hits El Reg gets in a week.

Btw, does El Reg's Vulture actually have a name?

[Sarah Bee]

@ Thomas

Yes. 'Reg'.

[Unkle Al]

"less savoury scavengers"

Mmmmmm, vulture!

[Ishkandar]

What nonsense !!

The Indian vultures have evolved and are now to be found haunting the Bombay (Mumbai) Stock Exchange and the various local equivalents of the yuppie joints in that city !! It seems like the pickings (pun intended) are better in those establishments !!

@Mike Richards - Indian feral dogs and rats have been running scared for centuries. They go into making good curries when times are hard, you know !! Even their fleas are running scared !!

@Sarah Bee - Extremely imaginative and highly intuitive name !!