Vulture-safe veterinary kits introduced in Thengumarahada village in the Nilgiris

A ‘vulture-safe veterinary first-aid kit’ was introduced for livestock owners in Thengumarahada village in the Nilgiris.

S. Bharathidasan, secretary of Arulagam, a conservation NGO that has been working in the landscape on the protection of vultures and other wildlife, said that the kits will be kept in a public place in the village and that they can be accessed by the public at highly subsidised rates.

“Recognising that banned Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are lethal to vultures are used for treating mastitis, pain, and inflammation in cattle, we introduced a vulture safe first-aid kit in a remote village. The kit contains safer alternatives, such as Meloxicam and traditional medicine prepared by YourFarm, thereby preventing contamination of the vulture food chain,” said Mr. Bharathidasan.

The event, which was held on Monday, also included the participation of V. Balakrishnan, Joint Director of the Regional Animal Husbandry Department in the Nilgiris, as well as 33 livestock owners from the village.

“The programme’s core message centered on mitigating the primary threat to vultures — the use of illegal and lethal NSAIDs such as Aceclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Nimesulide in livestock,” Arulagam said in a press release.

Mr. Balakrishnan underscored the ecological significance of Thengumarahada village and stressed that banned drugs remain a major threat requiring continuous public awareness and participation. The participants demonstrated strong commitment by expressing their willingness to utilise the kits provided by Arulagam for their livestock, the press release added.

Arulagam said that depending on the success of the kits, that the initiative would be expanded to other critical villages in the district where banned NSAIDs need to be completely phased out to protect vultures.