Munir and others

As I've tried to explain a few times during the past months that this as been a topic, this is Africa, we do not worship cows, we eat them.

In India cows die of old age after kindly Hindus have injected them over several years with Diclofenac to ease their aches and pains. They then get eaten by vultures because people DO NOT eat them.

For sure cattle are important to various pastoralist tribes in East Africa but does anyone know of a single instance that these same people spend money on animals with aches and pains. If they cannot keep up with the herd due to leg injuries they are EATEN.

Dr Charles Dulle in Iringa stocks Diclofenac but VERY rarely sells any. More people than animals take this pain killing drug in Tanzania !!! It's possible the zero grazing communities would use this drug for an animal that still yields milk

BUT

and this is a rather large BUT

these animals are NEVER eaten by vultures.

In fact VERY few of our cows are eaten by vultures. For sure throughout Sukumaland one occasionally finds a few vultures around the REMAINS of a dead cow but these are VERY rural communities. I would be really surprised if such communities purchase even moderate quantities of Diclofenic let alone enough to cause our vultures problems.

Hundreds of dead cows in our northern Rift Valley early last year due to drought, no vultures feeing on them, still enough large ungulates.

In West Africa vulture numbers are down some 97% due to huge losses of wildlife. There are still HUGE numbers of cattle !!!

This is, in my view, yet another example of smoke and mirrors conservation. There are issues out there but they are less headline grabbing than these emotive, high profile, climb on a bandwagon ones.

Of course I stand to be corrected here so REAL DATA most welcome.

Neil

Neil and Liz Baker, Tanzania Bird Atlas, P.O. Box 1605, Iringa, Tanzania.
Mobiles: 0786-404792 and 0784-834273.
http://tanzaniabirdatlas.com
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----- Original Message ----
From: Munir Virani <munir.virani@bigfoot.com>
To: kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com
Cc: tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 8 November, 2007 8:08:10 AM
Subject: [KENYABIRDSNET] diclofenac

Vulture-killing drug licensed in Tanzania

07-11-2007

Investigations by WCST (WildLife Conservation Society of Tanzania, Birdlife in Tanzania), have confirmed that Diclofenac has been licensed for veterinary use in the country.

Diclofenac induces fatal illness in vultures of the Gyps genus. Its use to treat livestock in the Indian subcontinent has driven three Gyps species to the brink of extinction.

“This is shocking news, and means that the threat is far greater than we thought” —Paul Nnyiti , WCST

An official from Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock told Paul Nnyiti of WCST that Diclofenac is licensed and stocked in veterinary centres, and available under prescription by qualified veterinary personnel.

“This is shocking news, and means that the threat is far greater than we thought,” said Paul Nnyiti of WCST. “We now fear that Diclofenac may also already be licensed and used in other African countries. BirdLife Partners must work quickly to alert governments and veterinary organisations to the dangers of the drug, and campaign for licenses to be revoked and Diclofenac to be withdrawn from sale throught the African continent.”