Minister Raja said urgent steps were needed to conserve three species of vulture — white-backed, slender-billed and long-billed — which are in danger of extinction.
"The government will shortly conduct a detailed survey on all the vulture range states to assess vulture population," Raja said in the statement.
Researchers have warned that the three species in South Asia could be wiped out by the end of the decade.
Diclofenac is a painkiller for livestock that is sold over the counter across South Asia and in other parts of the world too.
In a study published this month in the British journal
Biology Letters, British and South African scientists tested diclofenac on the Griffon vulture (
Gyps fulvus), which inhabits parts of Central Asia and southern Africa, and on the African white-backed vulture (
Gyps africanus).
The birds were given meat from goats and buffaloes that had been treated with diclofenac a few hours before being slaughtered.
Within 48 hours, all the birds were dead.
A postmortem examination showed extensive damage by uric acid crystals — a condition called visceral gout — to their kidneys, liver and spleen. The control birds, though, were fine.
Populations of the three South Asian species have plummeted by more than 95 percent since the early 1990s and are now listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union.
The dying out of the vultures would be an irreplaceable loss of a link in the food chain.
In India, the birds also play a vital cultural role. Followers of the minority Parsi faith depend on vultures for disposal of their corpses, considering the burial or burning of human remains to defile the elements.
Name: Asian White-Backed Vulture (
Gyps bengalensis)
Primary Classification: Falconiformes (Hawks, Eagles, Vultures, etc.)
Location: South Asia.
Habitat: Trees near jungles and cultivated areas.
Diet: Carrion, fresh or putrid.
Size: Up to 20 inches in length and 5 lbs in weight with a 50-inch wingspan.
Description: Dark gray to black plumage with a white splotch on the back; thin, curved neck; strong, hooked beak; short, square tail.
Cool Facts: It may not leave its roost for days at a time, especially during a downpour or after a hearty meal.
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Major Threat(s): Hunting and pollution.
What Can I Do?: Visit
BirdLife International and
The Peregrine Fund for information on how you can help.
