A Crisis for Vultures Led to a Human Disaster: Half a Million Deaths

The decline of vulture populations in India, primarily due to the widespread use of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in cattle, has had severe consequences for human health. A recent study published in the American Economic Review reveals that the near extinction of vultures over the past two decades has resulted in over half a million excess human deaths. As vultures disappeared, rotting livestock carcasses polluted water sources and led to an increase in feral dog populations, which are known carriers of rabies. This situation created a significant public health crisis, described as a "negative sanitation shock."

The study's authors, Anant Sudarshan and Eyal Frank, utilized historical data to compare human death rates in areas that once had vultures to those that did not. Their findings indicated a marked increase in mortality rates in vulture-populated districts starting in 1994, coinciding with the drug's price drop and subsequent usage. Despite efforts to ban diclofenac in veterinary medicine, vulture populations in India remain critically low, with less than 1 percent of their former numbers. While Nepal has seen some recovery in vulture populations due to stricter regulations, similar measures are lacking in India and other regions. The research underscores the importance of biodiversity and the role of keystone species in maintaining ecosystem health and human well-being.