Article 2: Deadly span
Why in news: India’s recovering but fragile vulture populations face a growing electrocution threat from expanding power infrastructure, prompting calls for safer electrical designs and separation of feeding sites from power lines.
Key Details
- Historic decline: Vulture populations fell 99.5% by 2007, mainly due to veterinary diclofenac.
- NSAID threat: India banned diclofenac and later restricted aceclofenac and ketoprofen to protect vultures.
- Emerging threat: Expanding power infrastructure and electrocution are becoming major risks for vultures and other raptors.
- High vulnerability: Large wingspans, elevated perching habits and predictable food sources increase the risk of contact with electrical conductors.
- Preventive measures: Relocate carcass dumps, insulate conductors, increase electrical clearances and install safe perches near vulnerable areas.
Historic Vulture Population Collapse
- India’s vulture population fell by 99.5% by 2007, from around 4 crore in the 1980s.
- The white-rumped, Indian and slender-billed vultures were nearly wiped out.
- The main cause was diclofenac, a cattle painkiller that damages vulture kidneys.
- The government subsequently banned diclofenac and, in 2023, also restricted aceclofenac and ketoprofen.
Electrocution: An Emerging Threat
- While chemical poisoning was historically the major threat, expanding power infrastructure is increasingly endangering vultures.
- Their large wingspans can allow them to touch two conductors simultaneously.
- Vultures frequently perch on elevated structures and gather in open areas where food is predictable.
- Food waste dumped near electrical installations can further increase congregation and electrocution risks.
Wider Ecological and Economic Impact
- The decline of vultures leaves animal carcasses exposed for longer, contributing to growth in feral dog populations and rabies outbreaks.
- A 2024 study estimated that vulture decline contributed to a 4% rise in human mortality and economic damages of about $69.4 billion annually.
- An official survey reported in 2025 found vultures nesting at only half of their historic nesting sites, highlighting their continuing vulnerability.
Evidence of Power-Line Mortality
- A study near Dehradun, Uttarakhand found that moving a livestock carcass dump 2.4 km away from high-tension infrastructure may have prevented vulture electrocutions.
- Electrocution has also been recorded on medium-voltage lines, affecting Egyptian vultures and steppe eagles.
- Research warns that persistent electrocution alone could potentially drive local vulture populations to extinction.
- The scale of the problem may be underestimated because dead birds are often removed or scavenged.
Need for Preventive Measures
- Relocating vulture feeding and carcass-dumping sites away from power infrastructure is a relatively inexpensive solution.
- Power lines can be made safer by insulating conductors and increasing the distance between energised and grounded components.
- Utilities can also install safe perches and designs that prevent birds from simultaneously contacting dangerous components.
- Given the fragility of India’s vulture populations, preventive action is needed before electrocution becomes as devastating as NSAID poisoning.
Conclusion
Vulture conservation must now move beyond controlling veterinary drugs to addressing emerging infrastructure-related threats. Given their ecological role as natural scavengers, preventing avoidable electrocution is both a conservation and public-health priority. India should integrate bird-safe designs into power infrastructure, regulate carcass disposal near electrical installations and strengthen monitoring, ensuring vulture recovery is sustained across landscapes.