Cambodian Vulture Restaurant Draws Rare Birds

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, June 11, 2004 (ENS) - Two imperiled species of vultures have been found in northeastern Cambodia, bringing hope to conservationists that the threatened birds may not die out entirely.

BirdLife International and the Wildlife Conservation Society today announced the sighting of threatened slender-billed and white-rumped vultures. More than 120 birds, the largest single gathering recorded in Indochina during the past 15 years, were counted in Siem Pang District of Stung Treng Province.

Most significant, the conservation groups say, was the observation of at least 28 slender-billed vultures, the rarest of the Asian vulture species. "This is one of the highest numbers recorded anywhere in the species's range during recent years, and at least four times greater than the previous largest single count in Indochina," the conservation groups said.

The discovery was made during a “vulture restaurant” training course.

Slender-billed and white-rumped vultures in Cambodia (Photo courtesy BirdLife International)

Populations of white-rumped, slender-billed, and Indian vultures have plummeted in South Asia over the past decade, most severely in India, where numbers have dropped by 97 percent since 1993, and are dropping by 30 to 40 percent annually in Pakistan.

Research has revealed that these declines are caused by veterinary use of the drug diclofenac. Vultures feeding on carcases of cattle treated with diclofenac are poisoned and die within a short time.

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug similar to ibruprofen or Tylenol. In even small quantities, diclofenac causes rapid death by visceral gout arising from kidney failure. Over 85 percent of natural vulture mortalities examined have had this pathology.

“Fortunately, diclofenac appears to be only rarely used for veterinary use in Cambodia,” said Austin, “so presently there are relatively few barriers to successful conservation of vultures in this country.”

In South Africa, vulture feeding stations have become tourist attractions, and this management strategy might be successfully implemented in Cambodia's protected areas and forests, the groups said.

Large quantities of food are offered daily close to the largest known vulture colony in an attempt to encourage birds from foraging more widely on carcasses that may be full of toxic diclofenac.

A working group has been formed to co-ordinate conservation activities for vultures and to develop a specific action and management strategy aimed at protecting vultures across northern Cambodia. Participants include representatives of BirdLife International, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Cambodian ministries of Environment and Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

White-rumped vultures with a carcass (Photo courtesy BirdLife International)

Experts have warned that diseases such as rabies and anthrax may spread more easily without these effective scavengers that are able to dispose of dead animals in a matter of hours.

The greatest threats to vulture survival appear to be a lack of available food, direct persecution through hunting, capture for the pet trade and for their perceived medicinal value.

BirdLife International and the Wildlife Conservation Society believe that the next priority in the effort to save vultures from extinction in Cambodia is a ban on the distribution and sale of veterinary medicine containing diclofenac in the country

They recommend establishing a monitoring program to determine vulture population sizes and trends. Next, they would like to see protection and monitoring of vulture/ breeding sites.

The white-rumped Gyps bengalensis, the slender-billed G. tenuirostris, and the Indian G. indicus vulture are classified as critically endangered by IUCN-the World Conservation Union. They are considered to be in imminent danger of extinction.