Diclofenac residues as the cause of vulture population decline in Pakistan

• Published in: Nature Vol. 427; no. 6975; pp. 630 - 633
• Main Authors: Oaks, J. Lindsay, Gilbert, Martin, Virani, Munir Z, Watson, Richard T, Meteyer, Carol U, Rideout, Bruce A, Shivaprasad, H. L, Ahmed, Shakeel, Iqbal Chaudhry, Muhammad Jamshed, Arshad, Muhammad, Mahmood, Shahid, Ali, Ahmad, Ahmed Khan, Aleem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing 12.02.2004; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Animal populations; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Anti-inflammatory agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - administration & dosage; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - poisoning; Applied ecology; Autopsy - veterinary; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Bird Diseases - chemically induced; Bird Diseases - diagnosis; Bird Diseases - epidemiology; Bird Diseases - pathology; Birds; Cause of Death; Conservation of Natural Resources; Diclofenac - administration & dosage; Diclofenac - poisoning; Diet; Drug Residues - poisoning; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Endangered & extinct species; Food Chain; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gout - chemically induced; Gout - complications; Gout - epidemiology; Gout - veterinary; Gyps bengalensis; Liver - chemistry; Liver - pathology; Livestock; Mortality; National parks; Pakistan - epidemiology; Population decline; Population Dynamics; Raptors - physiology; Renal Insufficiency - chemically induced; Renal Insufficiency - epidemiology; Renal Insufficiency - pathology; Renal Insufficiency - veterinary; Residues; Uric Acid - analysis; Veterinary Medicine; Asia; Pakistan; India; Kidney disease; Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase; Enzyme; Toxicity; Mortality; Enzyme inhibitor; Wild animal; Carcass; Raptor; Diclofenac; Non steroidal antiinflammatory agent; Trophic chain; Vertebrata; Analgesic; Arylacetic acid derivatives; Residue; Renal failure; Antipyretic; Livestock; Oxidoreductases; Aves; Chemical contamination

The Oriental white-backed vulture (OWBV; Gyps bengalensis) was once one of the most common raptors in the Indian subcontinent. A population decline of >95%, starting in the 1990s, was first noted at Keoladeo National Park, India. Since then, catastrophic declines, also involving Gyps indicus and...