The original concept for this painting was to position the Snow Pigeons (Columba leuconota) in the foreground with an Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) soaring above. As the piece evolved it became apparent that although my idea worked in concept, it wasn’t going to work compositionally. In 2007, I was privileged to study these species in their natural habitat in the Himalayas of northern India. Snow Pigeon populations appear to be stable, and are currently ranked by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a species of Least Concern. Sadly, in 2007 the Egyptian Vulture was up-listed from Least Concern to Endangered following an extremely rapid population decline. This decline was due to the widespread veterinary use of the NSAID Diclofenac, which accumulated in the vultures after consuming the carcasses of domestic livestock. The results were deadly for the vultures. It is with bittersweet memories that I look at my painting and rejoice in the presence of the pigeons while mourning the absence of the vulture.
Science Art-Nature: All eight Indian vulture species suffered severe die-offs from ingesting Diclofanac. Between 1992 and 2004, for example, Long-billed Vultures (Gyps indicus) declined by 97 percent, and Oriental White-backed Vultures (G. bengalensis) declined by more than 99 percent. Egyptian Vultures are the only Indian species not completely dependent on large mammal carrion, and were the last to show a decline. In 2005, the Indian government agreed to phase out use of Diclofenac, and the following year initiated a ban on its production and sale, while promoting the use of the alternative Meloxicam, which poses no known threats to birds. Vulture populations so far have been slow to rebound. Diclofenac is still widely used in Africa, and the drugs Flunixin and Carprofen, used in Europe, are known to be toxic to vultures and several other bird taxa. |
