Vulture Decline Flashcards
Why are vultures important and outline some of the consequences of their decline.
They fascilitate energy transfer through food webs as they can attract other predators to carcasses. They are also good at removing disease reservoirs.
Health - Lack of vultures can lead to increased numbers of feral dogs and rats which are disease reservoirs.
Culture - some communities that perform sky burials can no longer do so.
Economics - cost of increased disease and costs of disposal of abbatoir offal.
What are some of the adaptations that make vultures good scavengers?
They can glide - large distances with little energy expenditure.
Large body size for further flight and displacement of other scavengers at a carcass.
Keen eyesight
Low pH in the stomach
Why is it difficult to design a program to reintroduce vultures into the wild?
Vultures show delayed maturity onset and as a result, have a very low reproductive output. One bird produces one chick.
What makes vultures particularly vulnerable to poisoning?
Feed in large groups
High trophic level so prone to bioaccumulation (can have sub clinical effects)
May be deliberately poisoned as people don’t like them(more common in africa and europe).
Where and when was Diclofenac banned for veterinary use?
India, Nepal and Pakistan 2006
Are there any other reasons for decline in vulture populations?
Electrocution by power turbines and hitting wind turbine blades.
What factors may positively contribute to the vultures survival?
The problem is a single focus so much easier to focus conservation efforts and media attention.
Governmental interventions were fairly rapid, partly due to good communicatioon of scientific evidence.
Hindu religion regards the vulture as sacred.
What were the main steps in the conservation plan?
Identify a safe alternative to Diclofenac
Remove all existing diclofenac from the environment
Set up a full scale breeding program for the vultures
