Haryana wants ban on Diclofenac to save vultures

Chandigarh, Apr 26 (UNI) The Haryana government has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ban the use of Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflamatory veterinary drug, to save the extinction of three species of vultures--Gyps Indicus, Gyps Bengalensis and Gyps Tenuirpstros.

''These species were nature's most efficient scavengers, which helped in maintaining the ecological balance,'' Haryana Minister of State for Forests Kiran Choudhry said yesterday while interacting with Mr Charis Bowden, Director of Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre, United Kingdom, who called on her here.

The Minister said various tests conducted on decreasing population of vultures had proved that the use of the drug could be disastrous.

She said Meloxicam, another non-steroidal anti-inflamatory veterinary drug, had been tested on the vultures and four other bird species and found suitable to replace Diclofenac.

Mrs Choudhry said the Haryana Government had set up a vulture breeding centre at Pinjore, which was involved in breeding of vultures.

She said the centre would be extended and upgraded with a view to breeding more vultures. The centre was funded by the UK government for a period of three years, which was later extended by two years keeping in view its good performance. She appealed to the people and media to come forward to save this scavenger bird. There were nine species of vultures in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Charis Bowden appreciated the steps taken by the Haryana Government in setting up the Pinjore centre to preserve this unique bird.

He assured continuous support of Royal Society for the protection of the birds and their conservation at the centre.

Principal Chief Conservator of Haryana Forest Department, J P L Srivastva, said the centre has as many as 115 vultures while 54 more vultures were received from Mahatrashtra, Gujrat and Madhya Pradesh.

UNI MA SC VV1305