Veterinary use of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in livestock has caused catastrophic vulture population collapses across South Asia. Understanding this crisis illustrates how pharmaceutical choices affect wildlife welfare.
Vultures dying from diclofenac poisoning experience visceral gout - the precipitation of uric acid crystals in organs as kidneys fail. This is an acutely painful death. The collapse of vulture populations also removes the ecological function of rapid carcass disposal, increasing disease risk for other species and human communities. The welfare harm extends beyond individual vultures to the ecosystem. Pharmaceutical policy - specifically restricting diclofenac formulations that can be diverted to veterinary use - is one of the most direct policy interventions available for vulture welfare.