Vultures across Africa and Asia are dying in catastrophic numbers from deliberate and incidental poisoning, with the loss of these obligate scavengers causing disease outbreaks that harm humans and animals alike.
Vulture poisoning causes acute and agonising death. Organophosphate and carbamate poisons cause uncontrolled muscle contractions and respiratory failure over minutes to hours. Each poisoned carcass can kill dozens or hundreds of vultures simultaneously — entire regional populations can be affected by a single event. The cascading welfare effects extend to other species: without vultures removing carcasses rapidly, disease persists in the environment, harming domestic and wild animals that come into contact with infected remains. The recovery of Asian vulture populations following diclofenac bans demonstrates that identifying and eliminating the source of poisoning can achieve rapid welfare and conservation improvement.