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| NATURE
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| | | Nature offers a window on global natural history, providing a unique insight into the natural world, the environment, and the magnificent creatures that inhabit it.
nhuradio@bbc.co.uk | | | | | LISTEN AGAIN 30 min | | | |
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"Nature is full of surprises, so the programme can investigate fascinating and challenging areas in
our relations with the natural world without being too technical or preachy. My job is brilliant because, as a link between the listener and the subject, I can discover new information and ideas which help people make up their own minds on important issues."
Paul Evans |
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|  | | | Carcass dump |
India’s Vultures
India’s vultures are dying out. Their numbers have dropped from 45 million only a few years ago to the verge of extinction, and what was once the commonest bird of prey in the world is now a rare sight. In this programme Paul Evans travels to India to try to see a vulture, and to find out what has caused this catastrophic decline. A culprit has been found, but is it too late to save the three species native to India and the surrounding countries?
Far from being an unpleasant bird, Paul discovers that the vulture performs a vital role in the Indian way of life. They clean the carcasses of dead animals, and without them the population of other, less efficient, carrion eaters has increased. With the highest incidence of rabies in the world the increase in feral dog numbers has severe public health implications, and other health hazards are giving cause for concern. There is even a religious aspect to the disappearance of the vulture, as the Parsees rely on the birds to dispose of their human remains.
Paul visits a conference of experts from all over the world as they form a plan for preserving the species, and sees the beginning of a captive breeding programme, in which a few hundred birds may be the only ones of their kind left. These may be the only hope for the future of the vulture, as over many years they may become the parents of the wild population. | | |
RELATED LINKS
BBCi Nature
RSPB's Vulture Page
Vulture Rescue
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