“The White-rumped Vulture (WRV; Gyps bengalensis), endemic to South and Southeast Asia, was once possibly the most abundant large raptor in the world. In 1985, renowned vulture expert, David Houston, wrote ‘It is very abundant throughout India… …Its ability to live alongside man probably makes it the least vulnerable of all vultures…’. Yet it was this close relationship with humans that ultimately led to the species’ downfall and near extinction, when millions of vultures were unintentionally poisoned by the veterinary drug diclofenac. This led to declines of more than 90% across South Asia…
Nepal has been particularly successful in eliminating diclofenac from the veterinary market, which has led to the rapid, albeit partial recovery of the WRV population. In our study, we report on the most up to date road transect surveys of vultures…
These surveys, last carried out in 2025, have shown that the WRV population has continued to increase at a rate of 12.7% per year since the population low point in 2012.”
