BirdLife's Council for the African Partnership has
warned African BirdLife Partners that they need to be
on high alert, following the discovery of the drug
Diclofenac on sale at a veterinary practice in
Tanzania. A survey by WCST (WildLife Conservation
Society in Tanzania, BirdLife in Tanzania) is underway
to establish the full facts.

Diclofenac, a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug
(NSAID), has been found to cause gout and renal
failure in vultures of the Gyps genus. In India, where
Diclofenac was in widespread veterinary use, three
Gyps species, formerly of Least Concern, have been
pushed to Critically Endangered status, losing over 99
percent of their populations in just over a decade.

“This development could be absolutely catastrophic for
vultures in Africa if it is not addressed immediately,
to prevent this avian killer from becoming an
established veterinary drug,” said Jane Gaithuma of
the BirdLife Africa secretariat. “Research by
BirdLife Partners has established that there are safe
alternative drugs available, such as Meloxicam, so
there is actually no need for Diclofenac at all.”

Full story at http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2007/10/africa_diclofenac.html