Can you provide an example of a specific initiative taken in Tamil Nadu to protect vultures from NSAID poisoning?

A concrete initiative is the creation of the first VSZ around the Moyar River Valley in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Within this 100-km radius, the monitoring committee will: Map vulture nesting and habitat usage sites. Monitor carcass hotspots and collect samples for NSAID testing. Inspect veterinary drug retailers to ensure banned NSAIDs are not sold. Generate scientific data to evaluate vulture health and mortality risk. This initiative demonstrates a targeted, science-driven, and multi-stakeholder approach to conservation, combining habitat protection, legal enforcement, and community awareness.

How does Tamil Nadu’s approach to vulture conservation serve as a case study for wildlife protection in India?

Tamil Nadu’s initiative demonstrates a structured and scientific approach to species conservation. Key elements include: Multi-stakeholder committees: Involving forest officials, tiger reserve authorities, and wildlife research institutions ensures expertise and coordination. Data-driven strategies: Mapping nesting sites, carcass sampling, and NSAID monitoring provide evidence for decision-making. Legal and regulatory support: Enforcement against banned drugs and monitoring of veterinary practices integrates policy with field action. As a case study, it illustrates how targeted conservation measures, backed by legal oversight, scientific research, and inter-agency coordination, can be scaled for other species and regions facing similar threats. It highlights the importance of combining habitat protection, threat mitigation, and long-term monitoring for effective wildlife conservation.

Establishing Vulture Safe Zones in Tamil Nadu: A Vital Initiative

Q: What are Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) , and why are they being established in Tamil Nadu?

Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) are designated areas where the environment is made safe for vultures by eliminating threats that contribute to their mortality. In Tamil Nadu, VSZs aim primarily to protect vultures from the use of toxic veterinary drugs, such as diclofenac, which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) harmful to carrion-eating birds. The establishment of VSZs is guided by the ‘Vision Document for Vulture Conservation (VDVC) in Tamil Nadu 2025-30’. The first VSZ will be set up around the Moyar River Valley in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Within these zones, strict monitoring will prevent NSAID use, and nesting sites and carcass hotspots will be carefully mapped and protected. This approach ensures that vultures have safe habitats to thrive, reducing the risk of population collapse.

Q: Why is vulture conservation important in ecological and environmental terms?

Vultures play a critical role in ecosystem health as nature’s clean-up crew. They consume carcasses of dead animals, preventing the spread of diseases like anthrax, rabies, and other pathogens that can affect livestock and humans. A decline in vulture populations can lead to increased populations of feral dogs and other scavengers, which may increase disease transmission. In India, vulture populations have drastically declined due to NSAID poisoning, creating ecological imbalances. Protecting vultures through VSZs ensures ecosystem stability, reduces public health risks, and maintains biodiversity. Their conservation also demonstrates the broader principle of safeguarding species that provide indirect but essential ecosystem services.

Q: How is the Tamil Nadu Forest Department implementing measures to establish and monitor VSZs?

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has established a field-level monitoring committee chaired by the Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The committee includes district forest officers of Nilgiris, Gudalur, Coimbatore, and Erode, deputy directors of nearby tiger reserves, and a representative from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC). The committee is tasked with mapping vulture nesting sites, monitoring carcass hotspots, collecting carcass samples for NSAID testing, and inspecting veterinary drug retailers in coordination with the Drugs Controller. A 100-km radius around the Moyar vulture nesting population will be scientifically monitored for two years. These steps combine habitat protection, scientific monitoring, and regulatory enforcement to create effective VSZs.

Tamil Nadu Forest department initiates Vulture Safe Zones to combat the decline of vulture populations caused by toxic drugs.

Gopi

•January 15, 2026•5 mins read

Forest officials monitor vulture habitats under the Vulture Safe Zone initiative

1. Context: Judicial Oversight and State Action on Vulture Conservation

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has informed the Madras High Court that it has initiated the process of establishing Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) in the State. This action is aimed at creating a secure ecological environment for vultures, whose populations have witnessed sharp decline.

The initiative was placed before the High Court in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting mass vulture deaths and near-extinction risks. The case underscores the growing role of judicial oversight in enforcing wildlife conservation obligations.

The VSZ initiative is anchored in the Vision Document for Vulture Conservation (VDVC) in Tamil Nadu 2025–30, indicating a policy-backed, medium-term conservation roadmap rather than an ad-hoc intervention.

If such judicially monitored actions were absent, implementation gaps in wildlife conservation could persist, accelerating species decline and weakening environmental governance.

The governance logic reflects how courts act as catalysts when executive action lags. Without sustained oversight, conservation commitments risk remaining declaratory rather than operational.

2. Core Issue: NSAIDs and Vulture Mortality

The primary threat identified to vulture populations is the presence of toxic veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), especially diclofenac, in cattle carcasses consumed by vultures.

Despite regulatory bans, illegal or improper use of such NSAIDs by veterinarians continues to pose a lethal risk, causing kidney failure in vultures even at low residue levels.

The issue highlights a regulatory enforcement deficit where wildlife protection intersects with veterinary practices and pharmaceutical controls.

Failure to address this root cause would negate habitat-based conservation efforts and allow continued silent mortality of scavenger species.

The policy logic is that species conservation cannot succeed without addressing cross-sectoral regulatory leakages. Ignoring enforcement failures renders ecological interventions ineffective.

3. Identification of the First Vulture Safe Zone

The first VSZ in Tamil Nadu is proposed around the Moyar River Valley within the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, a region known for active vulture nesting and habitat usage.

This site selection reflects a science-based approach, prioritising areas with existing ecological significance rather than attempting artificial relocation or captive solutions.

By situating VSZs within a biosphere reserve, the State integrates species conservation with landscape-level ecological management.

If critical habitats are not prioritised early, conservation resources may be diluted with limited population recovery outcomes.

The conservation logic emphasises protecting ecological strongholds first. Neglecting such priority zones risks irreversible local extinctions.

4. Institutional Framework for Implementing VSZs

A field-level monitoring committee has been constituted to operationalise the VSZ framework. It is chaired by the Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) and includes forest officers from multiple districts and tiger reserves.

The committee also includes a representative from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), Vandalur, indicating collaboration between government agencies and scientific institutions.

This multi-institutional structure reflects decentralised governance with technical input, improving monitoring credibility and coordination.

Without such institutional clarity, VSZs risk remaining notional designations without on-ground enforcement.

The governance logic rests on coordinated authority and expertise. Fragmented institutional roles would weaken accountability and implementation.

5. Monitoring, Surveillance, and Scientific Data Generation

The VSZ framework includes continuous monitoring of a 100-km radius around the Moyar vulture nesting population for a period of two years to generate scientific evidence.

Key operational measures include carcass sampling, laboratory analysis for banned NSAIDs, and inspection of veterinary drug retailers with support from the Drugs Controller.

Statistics:
- 100-km radius monitoring zone
- 2-year monitoring period
- 800 carcasses to be sampled and tested

Such data-driven monitoring aims to move conservation from anecdotal reporting to evidence-based enforcement.

Ignoring systematic monitoring would limit learning, weaken legal action, and reduce policy adaptability.

The logic is that science-backed enforcement strengthens regulatory legitimacy. Without data, both prosecution and policy correction become weak.

6. Inter-State Coordination in Vulture Conservation

The status report indicates that similar conservation actions will be requested from Karnataka and Kerala, recognising that vulture habitats and feeding ranges transcend administrative boundaries.

This reflects an ecosystem-based approach rather than a State-centric one, essential for wide-ranging scavenger species.

Inter-State coordination is critical to prevent “safe islands” surrounded by high-risk zones that negate conservation gains.

The governance logic stresses cooperative federalism in environmental protection. Fragmented State action would undermine landscape-level conservation.

7. Role of Judiciary in Environmental Governance

After reviewing the status report and the VDVC 2025–30, the High Court granted time for further scrutiny and suggestions, keeping the matter under active consideration.

This reflects judicial insistence on participatory review and transparency in conservation planning.

Judicial engagement ensures continuity, timelines, and responsiveness from the executive.

The institutional logic is that judicial monitoring sustains momentum. Absence of follow-up often leads to policy inertia.

Conclusion

Tamil Nadu’s move to establish Vulture Safe Zones represents a science-based, institutionally coordinated, and judicially monitored conservation effort. Its success will depend on strict enforcement against banned NSAIDs, sustained inter-State coordination, and credible data generation. In the long term, such integrated approaches strengthen biodiversity governance and reinforce India’s commitment to ecosystem health and sustainable development.

Quick Q&A

Everything you need to know

Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) are designated areas where the environment is made safe for vultures by eliminating threats that contribute to their mortality. In Tamil Nadu, VSZs aim primarily to protect vultures from the use of toxic veterinary drugs, such as diclofenac, which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) harmful to carrion-eating birds.

The establishment of VSZs is guided by the ‘Vision Document for Vulture Conservation (VDVC) in Tamil Nadu 2025-30’. The first VSZ will be set up around the Moyar River Valley in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Within these zones, strict monitoring will prevent NSAID use, and nesting sites and carcass hotspots will be carefully mapped and protected. This approach ensures that vultures have safe habitats to thrive, reducing the risk of population collapse.

Vultures play a critical role in ecosystem health as nature’s clean-up crew. They consume carcasses of dead animals, preventing the spread of diseases like anthrax, rabies, and other pathogens that can affect livestock and humans. A decline in vulture populations can lead to increased populations of feral dogs and other scavengers, which may increase disease transmission.

In India, vulture populations have drastically declined due to NSAID poisoning, creating ecological imbalances. Protecting vultures through VSZs ensures ecosystem stability, reduces public health risks, and maintains biodiversity. Their conservation also demonstrates the broader principle of safeguarding species that provide indirect but essential ecosystem services.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has established a field-level monitoring committee chaired by the Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The committee includes district forest officers of Nilgiris, Gudalur, Coimbatore, and Erode, deputy directors of nearby tiger reserves, and a representative from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC).

The committee is tasked with mapping vulture nesting sites, monitoring carcass hotspots, collecting carcass samples for NSAID testing, and inspecting veterinary drug retailers in coordination with the Drugs Controller. A 100-km radius around the Moyar vulture nesting population will be scientifically monitored for two years. These steps combine habitat protection, scientific monitoring, and regulatory enforcement to create effective VSZs.

The major cause of vulture decline is the consumption of carcasses containing NSAIDs, particularly diclofenac, used to treat livestock. Even small amounts of these drugs can be fatal to vultures. Other contributing factors include habitat loss, reduction of safe nesting sites, and poisoning due to pesticides or human activities.

The decline is alarming because vultures have a slow reproductive rate, making population recovery difficult once numbers fall below a critical threshold. Mass mortality events have been observed in the Nilgiris and other regions, highlighting the urgent need for conservation measures such as VSZs to prevent extinction.

A concrete initiative is the creation of the first VSZ around the Moyar River Valley in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Within this 100-km radius, the monitoring committee will:

Map vulture nesting and habitat usage sites.
Monitor carcass hotspots and collect samples for NSAID testing.
Inspect veterinary drug retailers to ensure banned NSAIDs are not sold.
Generate scientific data to evaluate vulture health and mortality risk.

This initiative demonstrates a targeted, science-driven, and multi-stakeholder approach to conservation, combining habitat protection, legal enforcement, and community awareness.

Implementing VSZs faces several challenges. First, there is the issue of enforcing the ban on NSAIDs. Despite regulatory measures, awareness gaps and illegal drug circulation persist among veterinarians and livestock owners.

Second, vultures are highly mobile scavengers, so restricting them to designated zones may not fully prevent exposure to toxins outside protected areas. Third, coordination across multiple administrative jurisdictions—district forest offices, tiger reserves, neighboring states—requires sustained commitment and resources.

Finally, ensuring long-term monitoring, community engagement, and scientific research demands funding and institutional capacity. While VSZs are crucial, they must be part of a broader conservation strategy combining public education, legal enforcement, and inter-state collaboration.

Tamil Nadu’s initiative demonstrates a structured and scientific approach to species conservation. Key elements include:

Multi-stakeholder committees: Involving forest officials, tiger reserve authorities, and wildlife research institutions ensures expertise and coordination.
Data-driven strategies: Mapping nesting sites, carcass sampling, and NSAID monitoring provide evidence for decision-making.
Legal and regulatory support: Enforcement against banned drugs and monitoring of veterinary practices integrates policy with field action.

As a case study, it illustrates how targeted conservation measures, backed by legal oversight, scientific research, and inter-agency coordination, can be scaled for other species and regions facing similar threats. It highlights the importance of combining habitat protection, threat mitigation, and long-term monitoring for effective wildlife conservation.