4 of our
culture species can be found in Europe, the Gryphon Vulture, the Black Vulture, the Egyptian
Vulture and the Bearded Vulture.
As well as their relatives in Africa and Asia, they are scavengers, which means that they
mainly feed on carcasses of dead animals.
Therefore they play a very important role in the ecosystem, a role of a sanitary police.
Because they remove the decaying carions of dead animals for free and thus they prevent
dangerous diseases from spreading.
However, varchers are in peril at the same time, either due to the poison baits, contamination
by lead from short animals and due to a threat that has appeared newly in Europe, the Clofenac.
The Clofenac is a non-steroid, anti-inflammatory veterinary drug used to treat a wide range
of inflammations in livestock.
And it is the livestock treated with the Clofenac that represents the danger which European varchers
have to face now.
The Clofenac is extremely toxic to varchers, after ingesting it causes reduced excretion
of urus acid, kidney failure and death of the varcher within two days.
Veterinary the Clofenac is legally approved to be used in five European Union countries
including Italy and since 2013 also Spain, which is the home to the majority of European
varchers.
The problem with the Clofenac is not new.
Its veterinary use has caused a 99% decline in varcher populations in the Indian subcontinent
within last 20 years.
However, a non-toxic alternative is available in the market.
Veterinary Meloxicum has been studied and proved to be safe for varchers.
Therefore, Varcher Conservation Foundation, an international NGO committed to the conservation
of all four European varcher species, together with BirdLife International and other conservation
organisations, has launched a massive campaign against the use of the Clofenac, calling up
on the European Union Commission and the representatives of the European Parliament to ban veterinary
the Clofenac in Europe.
The campaign against the Clofenac has been joined by the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoos
and each of you can help.
For more information about what you can do, please visit the website of Varcher Conservation
Foundation or BirdLife International.
