However, with high pricing of the drugs, and illegal sales, this wasn’t a quick-fix solution. In 2006, in a historic move, India, Pakistan and Nepal all banned the sale of diclofenac for veterinary use in favour of meloxicam.
It was discovered that many other NSAIDs are equally toxic to vultures, but one drug, meloxicam, was found to be safe.
The first step after identifying the diclofenac problem was finding an alternative for people to use. Their current global population, which was tens of millions just a few years ago, is now estimated to be under 10,000, and other species, such as the slender-billed vulture, have seen similar declines. By 2007, it was estimated that the white-rumped vulture population had fallen by an almost unbelievable 99.9%. More research discovered that all the sick vultures also had traces of diclofenac in their systems. One drug in particular, diclofenac, had recently become available for veterinary use in India, where it was given to older cattle as a painkiller and to help with joint problems. The sick vultures had all been suffering from a type of gout caused by kidney failure, and researchers realised that these symptoms were linked to poisoning from ibuprofen-type drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). As the populations continued to crash, several conservation organisations, including the RSPB, began working together to try to find out what was happening. Birds were simply dying in their thousands, and although they were tested for pesticides, heavy metals and other pollutants, no single cause could be discovered. At first they couldn’t understand what was going wrong. The Sociable Lapwing is attractive medium-sized lapwing family of birds and critically endangered in India as per International Union for Conservation of Nature.Despite these numbers, local scientists started to notice a worrying decline in Indian vultures in the 1990s. The Forest Owlet is endemic bird to the dense forests of central India and was considered extinct. Shrinking forests of central India, leaving the species of Forest Owlet as critically endangered bird. The Red-headed Vulture also known as Asian King Vulture or Indian Black Vulture is the most critically endangered species of bird in India. This Old World vulture found in the Indian Subcontinent and has no subspecies. The White Rumped Vulture is another species of an Old World vulture and very close to the European Griffon Vulture. White-rumped Vulture population declined dramatically in Indian Subcontinent,especially in Maharashtra. Indian Vulture is one of the nine species of vulture living in India, it is also one of the species who is in danger of extinction. After the many Captive-breeding programmes Indian Vultures along with other species, population has increased. 14 Most Beautiful Indian Birds on The Verge of Extinction Indian Vulture Here is the list of bird species on the verge of extinction along with its recently announced state bird of Maharashtra, the forest owlet. There are 14 species of birds falls in the category of critically endangered in the country, main reason behind the threatened status of these beautiful birds are loss of habitat,poaching and use of insecticides.