Vultures provide irreplaceable ecological services by rapidly consuming carcasses that would otherwise spread disease, yet face catastrophic declines from poisoning, persecution, and collision with energy infrastructure.
Vultures die from poisoning through prolonged physiological distress — diclofenac causes gout-like renal failure over days; lead poisoning causes neurological damage and starvation over weeks. Electrocution on power lines causes immediate death but also injures birds that survive with burned feet or wing damage affecting flight. The ecological collapse caused by vulture decline has welfare implications beyond individual birds: carcasses that would be consumed rapidly instead persist and spread disease, affecting livestock and wildlife. India's vulture crash led to a documented increase in feral dog populations and rabies transmission as carcasses accumulated. The welfare case for vulture conservation extends through the ecosystem.