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Variable trends for Himalayan griffons
Two recent papers on the population status of Himalayan griffon vultures in Nepal have reached differing conclusions, with one suggesting that numbers are stable and the second indicating rapid declines from the Upper Mustang region of Nepal. Further surveys are clearly needed to determine the status of this species. However, the known toxicity of diclofenac to all eight vultures within the Gyps genus (including the Himalayan griffon) makes it likely that birds of this species are being killed. This may be particularly be the case for juvenile and immature birds, which are now more common in India due to the collapse of resident vulture populations. If young birds are being killed then there may be a time-lag of 5+ years before the resident breeding population in the mountains begins to decline.
PDFs of the two papers are found at the following links:
Raju Acharya, Richard Cuthbert, Hem Sagar Baral & Karan Bahadur Shah (2008). Rapid population declines of Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in Upper Mustang, Nepal. Bird Conservation International, 19: 99-107.
Virani, M.Z., Giri, J.B., Watson. R. & Baral, H.S., (2008). Surveys of Himalayan Vultures (Gyps himalayensis) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Mustang, Nepal. Journal of Raptor Research, 42:197-203.
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