Asian Vulture Crisis
 Guy Shorrock/RSPB Images
Two subadult White-rumped Vultures Gyps bengalensis. Their future hangs in the balance.
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How - and why - three species tumbled to the edge of extinction in a decade
Populations of three Gyps vulture species in parts of their ranges in South Asia fell by more than 95 percent in just three years in the 1990s, and all are now classified as Critically Endangered. Unless major steps are taken, all three species could soon be facing extinction.
Initially one of the major problems was that scientists weren’t able to work out what was causing the crisis. However, after much research and the elimination of a number of possible different theories, in ealry 2004 new research was published identifying a commonly-used veterinary drug as the culprit.
A turning point has hopefully now been reached in the race to save these birds from extinction.