Vultures perform irreplaceable ecological services by removing carcasses, but face severe threats from poisoning, lead ammunition, and veterinary drugs that have driven populations to near-extinction in some regions.
Vultures die slowly and painfully from lead poisoning, which causes neurological damage, paralysis, and organ failure over days or weeks. Diclofenac causes visceral gout and kidney failure in Old World vultures within hours of consuming contaminated carcasses. Poisoning events can kill hundreds of birds simultaneously. The social nature of vultures means that poisoning at carcass sites creates devastating colony-level losses. Conservation programs require addressing both the direct causes of mortality and the underlying practices, including illegal wildlife poisoning and lead ammunition use.