Scientists are almost certain the vultures are being affected by an unidentified viral disease, and the money will pay for three people to work at a permanent unit in India trying to pinpoint the disease's cause. It will also fund monitoring in the wild and the establishment of a captive care centre. This will allow scientists to study the disease and possible ways of helping the vultures to recover. It will also train workers who may be able to set up a captive breeding programme. We've just heard from western Rajasthan, where there's a big dump that receives an average of 20 animal carcasses daily.
Most sick birds become lethargic and usually die within about a month of symptoms developing.
The BNHS said that some vultures in Pakistan and Nepal were also being affected, but the situation in all three countries appears to have deteriorated since then. There is no apparent recovery, and the problem is spreading. It affects vultures from the Gyps genus, and there are species of Gyps vultures in France, Spain, and contiguous populations all the way down to South Africa. And what's happening is not just a conservation problem. It has implications for human health too.