Priority Species Spotlight: Asian vultures
Get to know nature’s special scavengers – Asian vultures.
Conservation StatusAll four species are Critically Endangered
Population StatusVaries across regions
Main ThreatVeterinary drugs
Get to know Asian vultures
Vultures are incredible birds of prey. Instead of killing their own food, they feed exclusively on carrion. Globally, there are 23 species of vulture (including condors), and a particular feature is their bald head, without feathers. The most threatened Asian vulture species are White-rumped, Slender-billed, Indian and Red-headed Vultures.
Vultures are vital. They’re also known as nature’s clean-up crew! They play a very important role – quickly stripping carcasses of decaying flesh, which would otherwise attract vermin, rot and pollute the environment. It’s an important job.
Vultures are very important in South Asian culture. A vulture plays a key role in Hindu mythology. And historically, the Parsi community carried out ‘sky burials’, where vultures consume the bodies of their dead, a practice that continues in some Himalayan communities.
Why are Asian vultures in trouble?
Sadly, millions of vultures have disappeared from the skies of South Asia, and four resident species are now classified as Critically Endangered. So, whilst you’re never likely to see one in the UK, they have become much rarer across much of Asia.
Asian vultures are an RSPB priority because they’re incredibly important for ecosystems, and they suffered shocking declines in the 1990s. The White-rumped Vulture, once the world’s most common bird of prey, declined by 99.9% over this time. So sadly, just one in 1,000 of them are now present today.
With the loss of vultures, there has been an increase in the numbers of feral dogs attracted by the carcasses, which bring with them public health problems. Vultures are much better at clearing the environment of animal carcasses – and thanks to your support, some populations are showing the first signs of recovering.
In 2003, there was a major breakthrough. Research showed that the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, first developed for humans, was also being used to treat cattle. In India and Nepal, cows have a sacred status for Hindus, and are generally not eaten. Instead, they’re left in the open and when they die are eaten by the vultures, who also ingest the drug causing kidney failure and death.
But vultures face other threats too, including eating poisoned baits intended for mammals; or being electrocuted or killed in collisions with power lines or other infrastructure.
How are we helping Asian vultures?
We’ve taken action! We joined forces with other organisations to form Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction, or SAVE. This group now has over 30 organisations, all working together, including the RSPB, BirdLife International, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Bird Conservation Nepal and IUCN Bangladesh.
A safe alternative to diclofenac, meloxicam, was identified, and in 2006, India, Pakistan and Nepal all banned the sale of veterinary diclofenac. In 2023, India also banned ketoprofen and aceclofenac, which were also harmful to vultures. Nimesulide, another harmful veterinary painkiller, was also banned in 2024.
We work closely with our BirdLife Partner in Nepal, Bird Conservation Nepal, to help the future of White-rumped Vultures. Together we’ve helped run a successful captive breeding programme, and created the world’s first recognised Vulture Safe Zone, an area shown to be completely free of diclofenac, where captive-bred birds have been successfully released. We also undertook an ongoing programme of education and advocacy, so that others can learn to love these special scavengers and use safe drugs for their cattle.
Now, vulture populations are still low, but they’re showing signs of recovery. The annual survival rate of adult White-rumped Vultures that we have been tracking with GPS technology is 97% - this is very encouraging, and comparable to that found in stable populations of vultures elsewhere in the world.
The job’s not done yet, but things are looking up. We’re now working with the BNHS towards establishing another Vulture Safe Zone in India, creating a huge toxic-drug free area with a 100km radius. This is because vultures will regularly fly up to 100km each day to find food.
We’re also advocating for mandatory testing of veterinary drugs before they are licenced for veterinary use, to ensure that they are safe for vultures.
Dedicated people have been working together to save Asian vultures for over a quarter of a century. Encouragingly, we’re seeing signs of recovery in places, but there’s still a long way to go to keep the environment safe for vultures.
Chris Bowden, RSPB Vulture Programme Manager:
It seems unthinkable that such magnificent birds could so quickly be at risk of total extinction. To work closely with so many highly-motivated people from across Asia and beyond to overcome the challenges faced by vultures is a real privilege.”
Taking species on a journey to recovery
Helping species to reach a healthy conservation status is a journey. Each journey is tailored to the species in question, but shares four stages:
1. DiagnosisIdentifying there's a problem, and researching to find out what's causing it
2. Testing solutionsDeveloping practical solutions and trialling them to make sure they work
3. RecoveryProviding these solutions across the whole range of the species
4. Long-term legacyReaching improved conservation status and securing a long-term legacy for the species’ recovery
Recovery stage
Our work to help Asian vultures is currently at the Recovery stage of the species recovery curve. We know what needs to be done, and work is happening to carry out these solutions.
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Watch this video showing the final release of captive-bred vultures in Nepal
Thank you!
Without your support, our work in partnership to save Asian Vultures would not be possible. We are also grateful for funding from the Rufford Foundation, Brown Source Trust and Natural Encounters Conservation Fund, and for the dedicated work of our partners in the SAVE consortium.
Thank you for helping vultures thrive in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Together, we help nature soar.