Vultures are among the most rapidly declining bird groups globally, with poisoning representing the most significant mortality driver across Africa and Asia.
Poisoned vultures die from acute toxicity that causes prolonged suffering including organ failure, seizures, and respiratory distress before death. Secondary poisoning from diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug given to livestock, causes rapid kidney failure when vultures consume treated carcasses. The welfare toll from poisoning events can be catastrophic: a single poisoned elephant carcass can kill hundreds of vultures within days. Surviving birds suffer sublethal effects including reproductive failure and immune suppression. Individual vulture suffering occurs at a scale that makes it one of the most significant wildlife welfare problems globally.