The vulture population in India has drastically decreased from 50 million to thousands since the mid-1990s due to the use of diclofenac, a painkiller toxic to vultures. This decline has significant repercussions, with around 100,000 human deaths annually attributed to the consequences of losing these scavengers. Vultures play a vital role in cleaning carcasses, preventing disease spread through rotting meat and bacteria. The absence of vultures has also contributed to an increase in feral dog populations and related rabies outbreaks, demonstrating their vital contribution to the ecosystem.
Vultures have distinctly unique abilities to clean up carcasses and can leave an entire cow spotless within 40 minutes, which helps prevent disease spread.
The decline of vultures due to diclofenac use in livestock has led to approximately 100,000 human deaths annually in the early 2000s because of health complications.
Vultures were naturally controlling routes of disease before they declined, as their absence increased the risk of spreading harmful bacteria and diseases among humans.
The extinction of vultures not only affects biodiversity, but also disrupts ecological balance, leading to a rise in feral dogs and rabies cases.
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