Mumbai: Gaushalas or cow shelters are voluntarily stopping the use of veterinary drugs that leave toxic residues in the bodies of cattle and kill vultures that feed on the carcasses, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has said. The disuse of these drugs is a significant step in India's vulture conservation plan that is trying to revive the population of the birds classified as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The population of Long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus), called Jatayus has collapsed by 99% largely due to the veterinary use of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) given to cattle. When the cattle die and vultures feed on the carrion, the drug residue affects the birds' liver and kidneys, leading to kidney failure (visceral gout). The near-decimation of India's vultures has also affected the functioning of Parsi dakhmas or 'Tower of Silence', including the one in Mumbai, that for centuries relied on carrion birds and the sun to dispose of bodies.
BNHS said that most gaushala in Rajasthan have stopped using vulture-toxic veterinary drugs and also stopped burying dead cattle so that vultures can feed on the carcasses. BNHS confirmed that these steps have helped to stop the further decline in the bird's population decline and also helped to increase their numbers.
Vultures play an important role in cleaning the environment and preventing diseases spread by rotting animal carcasses. Research has shown that some veterinary drugs, which are also used in painkillers made for humans, is the primary cause of the decline.
BNHS director Kishor Rithe stated that many gaushalas in Rajasthan have stopped using vulture-toxic veterinary drugs like diclofenac, aceclofenac, ketoprofen and nimesulide and adopted the vulture-safe veterinary drugs like meloxicam and tolfenamic acid. They have also stopped burying dead cattle to feed the Jatayu’s and today the Jatayu population in Rajasthan have ample food available around the gaushala".
For instance, the huge Apna Ghar Gaushala at Lohagarh near Bharatpur, housing more than 5000 cattle, has stopped using the toxic drugs. P K Saini, a volunteer at the gaushala has been quoted by BNHS as saying that they have been using traditional ways of treating cows since the beginning. "We avoid vulture-toxic drugs that could harm vultures," Saini said.
BNHS said that a large number of cow shelters in Rajasthan have also been adopting nature-friendly methods of disposing of dead cattle. "This is helping the efforts of conservationists to revive the vulture population," said Dr Sujit Narwade, deputy director at BNHS who praised the voluntary action by the gaushalas. “Traditional gaushala practices strengthen vulture conservation in Rajasthan. Gaushalas in Rajasthan are emerging as unlikely champions of vulture conservation through the continued practice of traditional cattle care. Due to the large cattle population in the Thar Desert today, many gaushalas are reviving older, less drug-dependent methods of cattle management and ensuring that carcasses are disposed of in designated dumping grounds.”
Dr Narwade added that BNHS has been monitoring vultures at Bikaner since the last four-five years. "The carcass disposal has helped stabilise vulture populations at Bikaner’s Jorbeer Conservation Reserve which is Asia’s largest carcass dump. It has been proved a secured haven for resident and migratory vultures. I have seen another gaushala in Karauli Dholpur in Rajasthan which provides safe food to several vultures," he added.
Rithe said that gaushalas have a vital role to play in vulture conservation as they manage thousands of cattle. "By following traditional practices like carcass disposal in open as well as not using vulture toxic veterinary drugs to cattle, they are providing safe food to vultures, nature’s most efficient scavengers, as well as safeguarding public health by reducing disease transmission”.
A BNHS researcher in Bhopal observed similar practice in Madhya Pradesh too. He stated that the Ramkali Gaushala near Halali Dam, Bhopal, employs eco-friendly practices and prefers natural medicines to support the cows. They also keep the dead carcasses in the open and provide food to vultures”.
Bombay Natural History Society has been working for vulture conservation under the programme 'Bringing back the apex scavenger'. Earlier this month, 15 vultures brought from the conservation and breeding centre in Pinjore, Haryana, in April 2025, were released in the Melghat Tiger Reserve. The IUCN-World Conservation Union lists India's three species of vulture - the oriental white-backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures - as critically endangered, the category for animals closest to extinction.
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