Bangladesh has banned a painkiller used widely by farmers to treat cattle in an effort to save the country's vultures from extinction, the government said Tuesday.

Like elsewhere in South Asia, vulture numbers have plummeted in Bangladesh, with the population now estimated at just 260 compared to 50,000 in the 1970s.

The meat of dead cows that have been given Ketoprofen is highly toxic when consumed by the scavenging birds, leading to rapid kidney failure.

In 2017 Bangladesh outlawed the non-steroid anti-inflammatory painkiller in two Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs), areas designated as protected areas for the birds.

But the new ban on the sale and production of the medicine approved on Monday applies nationwide, Environment Minister Shahab Uddin told AFP.

He insisted that the tens of millions of villagers who rear cows for a living in the impoverished country won't be impacted by the ban, as local drugmakers have been tasked with producing an alternative to Ketoprofen which isn't harmful to vultures.

Raquibul Amin, country representative for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said the decline in vulture numbers was "catastrophic" and called the ban a "milestone achievement".

The drug has also been banned in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Sarowar Alam, Bangladesh's leading vulture expert, said that some drugmakers have already started to produce an alternative, known as meloxicam.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Tamed Gabonese monkeys face long journey back to the wild
Franceville, Gabon (AFP) Feb 4, 2021
The talks had failed and there were downcast faces in the car, which was all set to drive off. Suddenly a man rushed out and yelled: "It's fine. Come and fetch your monkeys!" The owner of two small mandrills had just given way, letting the Save Gabon's Primates (SGP) association take charge of the orphaned animals, born in the equatorial forest that covers much of the country. The mandrill, like the gorilla and the chimpanzee, is safeguarded by law from hunting, capture, sale and detention. ... read more