India's Vanishing Vultures

Some have criticized Prakash’s work withBNHS, claiming that keeping vultures in captivityis wrong, that BNHS is serving some unidentifiedself-interest. They argue instead for“vulture restaurants,” where diclofenac-freemeat is dumped in open fields to attract wildbirds. Prakash has no patience for such criticismand believes that a restaurant model isineffective for the wide-ranging vultures. It isRussian roulette. Wild birds are still at risk ofcoming across deadly meat; just one tainted carcasscould kill dozens of birds. Prakash knowscaptive-breeding is slow and may be ineffective,but he doesn’t see a better choice.“We wish we didn’t have to do this,” he said.“It is a big headache to raise these birds.”Even if the breeding is successful, if BNHScan raise the funds—more each year—and findthe biologists willing to do the unpraised work,even if vultures accept their new confines, whatthen? There is no hope for the ultimate stage ofPandevi lives with her husband and four children,a family of animal skinners, at the Jorbeer carcassdump on the outskirts of Bikaner. She has seen anincrease in the number of feral dogs—and witnessedtheir aggressiveness. “In the late night,” she said,“I am very afraid of the dogs.” (meera subramanian)a captive breeding program—release—unlessdiclofenac is completely removed from the environment.Each year, there will be more vulturesto care for, and the ark will need to expand, andyet the floodwaters continue to rise each timea farmer pricks the rump of an ailing cow witha shot of diclofenac.By the time Prakash and I had returned to theoffice, the distant sound of the feeding vultureshad diminished. He looked up, an unbreakablehabit among those who work with birds, as asingle white-backed vulture crossed the paleblue sky, one of a wild pair that frequent the areaaround the center. Was it aware of the white-Meera Subramanian 37