Not long ago in late 1990s Kaleidoscope used to live beside an open field beside the railway track in a newly formed settlement "Shaktigarh." The open field was a dumping ground of animal corpses. These used to attract vultures of different species. Kaleidoscope was forbidden to go to the place. His mom narrated stories about vultures snatching-off eyes of children. This added to his insatiable curiosity of the place. He became a regular visitor of this wonderland of bones, flies, smell and vultures while his mom was busy with other things.
The place has observed a rapid urbanisation and Kaleidoscope has found big buildings and not his nostalgic vultures.
While kaleidoscopes looks at his sky he finds lesser and lesser high fliers. He thinks about the urbanisation and less available foods until he finds that white rumpted vultures being the most common bird of prey in 1990s becomes extinct in 2000.
From 40 million, India now has 60,000 of vultures. The number falls in two decades only.
THE KILLERS:
Now the question is who kills them? Its our discovery of an anti inflammatory drug widely used by vets are responsible for the kill. Its use ultimately lead to intoxication of animal flesh for vultures. In 2008 this particular drug named as "diclofenac" is banned although is widely used by vets and quacks till dates.
THE PROTECTORS:
In 2006, a mass campaign against the particular drug compels Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to put a ban on production, sale and use of veterenary diclofenac, however, is still use widely. Endeavour of captive breeding is yet to reach satisfactory level.
Kaleidoscope fears the extinction of an entire species which provides critical services to the world.
