Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used in livestock farming, with lethal effects on vultures when reaching high concentrations in the carcasses they feed on. There are ...evidences showing that it caused the decline of >95% of vultures of the Gyps genus in Southern Asia until its ban in 2006. In March 2013 two veterinary drugs containing diclofenac were authorized in Spain. The scientific and conservationist communities alerted on the foreseeable risks to European vulture populations based on previous experiences. Several risk assessments modelled the expected impact on vultures, and media campaigns were launched to ban the veterinary use of diclofenac. Here, we evaluate the situation of Spanish vultures after seven years (2013–2019) since the marketing authorisation of the veterinary use of diclofenac was granted. The present assessment takes into consideration the awareness measures adopted to avoid an inappropriate use of the drug, the results of the monitoring programs performed both for vultures and livestock in the wild and from toxicological tests, as well as the review of the published models on the expected mortality of vultures. The measures adopted seem to have been adequate and have avoided impacts at vulture population level despite the finding of one cinereous vulture lethally intoxicated by diclofenac in 2020. In view of the results, we discuss the different situations from the veterinary use of this drug between Southern Asia and Spain. Finally, surveillance priorities and future prospects are proposed to prevent risks from possible changes in the current circumstances, regarding the use of diclofenac and other NSAIDs potentially harmful like flunixin.
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•Diclofenac caused the severe decline of Gyps vultures in Southern Asia.•Its use was authorized in Spain in 2013.•The measures adopted have avoided impacts on vulture populations.•We recommend to strengthen the control and monitoring measures in the future.
Transhumance is the traditional livestock practice consisting in the seasonal movement of herds between winter and summer pastures. Transhumance have important effects on the ecosystem functions from ...local to regional scales. Here, we 1) explored the relationship of vultures to transhumant herds, and 2) tested whether there is a shift on the use of space by vultures due to the decline of transhumance. For that, we first assessed whether vultures follow transhumant herds in two mountain areas with transhumant tradition, Pyrenees (Spain) and Andes (Argentina). Second, we compared both systems to determine whether the impact of transhumance on the use of space of vultures is greater in the area where transhumance is still relevant (Andes) than where this activity is in decline (Pyrenees). For this purpose, we analyzed the use of the summer pastures made by 50 griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) and 18 Andean condors (Vultur gryphus), as assessed by GPS tracking. Our findings showed that both species respond to transhumance by making greater use of summer pastures when herds are present. A higher proportion of condors made use of summer pastures than griffons, and condors individually made a more intense use of it than griffons. Differences could be explained by the fact that transhumance in the Andes is still important while in the Pyrenees is declining and the amount of carrion provided is lower. Given that the abandonment of traditional activities is a phenomenon underway, it is urgent to evaluate the effects it will have on biodiversity conservation.
Habitat anthropization is a powerful stressor affecting the health and fitness of organisms, ultimately impacting their population dynamics. In vertebrates, stressful living conditions are usually ...associated with elevated glucocorticoids-based responses (GCs) as well as shorter telomeres, which are in turn associated with decreased overall body condition fitness and life expectancy. However, our understanding of how habitat anthropization per se and population processes synergistically, or independently, may affect GCs and telomere dynamics in natural populations is still very limited. Here, we assessed the physiological footprint of habitat anthropization and conspecific density in 65 GPS-tagged Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) from two populations of the Iberian Peninsula. We examined how extrinsic (human footprint values and conspecifics density within individual activity areas) and intrinsic (sex and home range size) factors determine GCs deposited in feathers (CORTf) and telomere length as proxies of overall individual condition and quality. We found strong differences in both physiological markers between populations, with higher CORTf levels and shorter telomeres in vultures living in the northern, more anthropized area. We also found sex-specific patterns of CORTf, with females having higher levels than males. In both sexes, telomere length decreased as the density of conspecifics increased. Previous studies in these populations have shown lower survival rates in individuals who exploit more anthropized areas, and here we show a potential physiological causal link. We highlight the existence of complex effects of chronic stress associated both with living in anthropized environments and with population-related processes likely associated to the spatial distribution of resources.
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•Organisms are exposed to environmental stressors in human-transformed landscapes.•We measured CORTf and telomere length in GPS-tagged griffon vultures.•Telomere length decreased in parallel to anthropization and density of conspecifics.•CORTf levels were higher in females and in more anthropized areas.•Environment- and population-related stressors affect overall individual quality.
The use of social information in vulture flight decisions Sassi, Yohan; Nouzières, Basile; Scacco, Martina ...
Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences,
2024-Mar-13, 20240313, Letnik:
291, Številka:
2018
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Animals rely on a balance of personal and social information to decide when and where to move next in order to access a desired resource. The benefits from cueing on conspecifics to reduce ...uncertainty about resource availability can be rapidly overcome by the risks of within-group competition, often exacerbated toward low-ranked individuals. Being obligate soarers, relying on thermal updraughts to search for carcasses around which competition can be fierce, vultures represent ideal models to investigate the balance between personal and social information during foraging movements. Linking dominance hierarchy, social affinities and meteorological conditions to movement decisions of eight captive vultures,
., released for free flights in natural soaring conditions, we found that they relied on social information (i.e. other vultures using/having used the thermals) to find the next thermal updraught, especially in unfavourable flight conditions. Low-ranked individuals were more likely to disregard social cues when deciding where to go next, possibly to minimize the competitive risk of social aggregation. These results exemplify the architecture of decision-making during flight in social birds. It suggests that the environmental context, the context of risk and the social system as a whole calibrate the balance between personal and social information use.
Poisoning due to exposure to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides is a common threat for many wildlife species, especially for scavengers such as vultures. The Griffon vulture population (Gyps ...fulvus), for instance, is deteriorating in the Eastern Mediterranean, and is considered to be critically endangered in Israel, where 48 out of 107 (45 %) known injury/mortality cases in 2010–2021 were caused by poisoning. Lack of specific clinical indications, together with levels of organophosphate or carbamate pesticides too low to detect, challenge the ability to diagnose and treat such poisoning events. The activity of cholinesterase (ChE) in plasma has the potential to serve as an effective biomarker for monitoring exposure to anticholinesterase pesticides in live vultures. Yet, the applicability of this approach has been limited by intra- and inter-species variations in ChE basal levels. The present study aims to provide a benchmark for ChE activity levels in healthy Griffons and their intra-species variation. Blood samples from free-roaming (n = 231) and captive (n = 63) Griffons were collected during routine monitoring, and ChE levels were determined using a colorimetric method. We established that the ChE in the plasma of Griffons reflects mostly acetylcholinesterase as the dominant form. ChE levels in healthy Griffons are 0.601 ± 0.011 U/ml (mean ± SE), while Griffons with suspected or confirmed pesticide poisoning display much lower levels of ChE activity (typically <0.3 U/ml). We also characterized the age dependence of ChE activity, as well as differences among groups from different locations or origins. Our study provides a rapid diagnostic tool for the detection of exposure to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides that should facilitate the lifesaving treatment and the conservation of this species. Moreover, our protocols can be adapted to other species and geographical areas, addressing pesticide poisoning worldwide and contributing to the protection of endangered species and their ecological functions (e.g. sanitation by scavengers).
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•Pesticide poisoning is the main cause of mortality in Griffon vultures in Israel.•Plasma cholinesterase activity is a rapid indicator of pesticide exposure in vultures.•We have established a reference level for Griffons and their intraspecific variation.•Vultures with confirmed or suspected poisoning had much lower levels of activity.•Our method can be adapted for other systems, addressing poisoning detection worldwide.
Lead poisoning from spent ammunition is known to affect many avian species. Birds of prey ingest lead when feeding on game shot with lead gunshot or bullets. Raptors with scavenging habits are ...particularly vulnerable to ingesting lead in areas with intensive hunting and are good indicators of the risk of poisoning from lead ammunition. To assess how much facultative and obligate avian scavengers suffer lead contamination in south-central Europe, between 2005 and 2019 we collected and analysed 595 tissue samples from 252 carcasses of 4 species (golden eagle, bearded vulture, griffon vulture, cinereous vulture). Lead concentrations in organs showed a similar pattern across species with long and small bones revealing the highest median values (5.56 and 6.8 mg/kg w.w., respectively), the brain the lowest (0.12), and the liver and kidney the intermediate (0.47 and 0.284). Overall, 111 individuals (44.0%) had lead concentrations above background thresholds in at least one tissue (i.e. >2 mg/kg w.w. in soft tissues, >8.33 in bone) and 66 (26.2%) had values indicating clinical poisoning (>6 mg/kg w.w. in liver, >4 in kidney, >16.6 in bone). Tissue lead concentrations and incidence of clinical and sub-clinical poisoning were higher in golden eagles and griffon vultures than in bearded and cinereous vultures, likely due to different feeding habits. In all species we found a rapid increase in lead values with age, but differences between age classes were significant only in the golden eagle. Birds with lead fragments in their digestive tract, as detected by X-rays, had higher median lead concentrations, suggesting that hunting ammunition is the main source of lead poisoning. Our results imply that lead impacts the demography of these long-lived species with delayed sexual maturity and low reproduction rate. A rapid transition towards lead-free bullets and gunshot is therefore required across Europe.
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•We analysed lead concentrations in tissues from 4 species of large avian scavengers.•We found that 44% of the birds had lead levels exceeding the background thresholds.•The high incidence of contaminated birds suggests an impact on species demography.•Lead ammunition in hunting is the main source of contamination for avian scavengers.•To protect threatened raptors in Europe a ban on lead ammunition is urgently needed.
The Newcastle disease virus (NDV) affects wild and domesticated bird species, including commercial poultry. Although the diversity of NDV in domestic chickens is well documented, limited information ...is available about Newcastle disease (ND) outbreaks in other bird species. We report an annotated sequence of NDV/Vulture/Borjuri/01/22, an avirulent strain of NDV reported from Borjuri, Northeast India, in Himalayan Griffon vulture. The complete genome is 15,186 bases long with a fusion protein (F) cleavage site
GRQGR↓L
. The phylogenetic analysis based on the F protein gene and the whole genome sequence revealed that the isolate from the vulture belongs to genotype II, sharing significant homology with vaccine strain LaSota. The study highlights the possible spillover of the virus from domestic to wild species through the food chain.
Protected areas in southern Europe are important for the conservation of large avian scavengers. However, the effects an increasing number of visitors may have on the scavengers' patterns of movement ...are unknown. Here, we took advantage of data collected from seven GPS‐tagged adult Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus breeding in the Bardenas Reales Natural Park in northern Spain to determine whether foraging birds moved to more remote areas on the days when the number of visitors increased. We found that although the number of visitors did appear to affect movement patterns, this had a smaller effect size compared with the mean temperature of the day. Additionally, males moved further than females. If the number of visitors to natural areas continues to increase, local exclusions of Griffon Vultures may become more common, so further research is needed to address the potential consequences for the scavenger population and ecosystem functions and services they provide.
The Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) represents an exception among the European accipitrids, as it forms highly populated colonies. Although it has been the subject of many studies, social ...interactions and intraspecific communication are still relatively unexplored. Because of its social habits, we hypothesise that the sound language of the griffon vulture is far more complex than previously believed; the 'Social Intelligence Hypothesis' could in fact be relevant to this species. In this study, we took as a model the vulture population of the central Apennines (Italy), comparing the vocalisations recorded in three different locations: (i) supplementary feeding station; (ii) nesting and roosting cliffs far from anthropogenic disturbance; (iii) nesting and roosting cliffs close to settlements and roads. The results obtained by 80 monitoring hours and 20 recording hours show an articulated vocal repertoire, characterised by 12 sound categories associated with different age groups and possibly to very specific behavioural contexts. The vocal repertoire is also marked in some cases by nonlinear phenomena revealing different degrees of behavioural complexity related to the expression of emotional states and social interactions. The next steps will focus on individual recognition mechanisms and the interactions with other species sharing part of the same ecological niche.
This present study is the first case of a
(
) infection reported in
(
) in China. This study aimed to identify the nematode species and explore the genetic evolution of worms infecting
(
). Clinical ...examination revealed several milky white parasites in the stomach and intestinal tract. Polymerase chain reaction and partial 18S gene sequencing analyses identified these worms to be
(SD isolates). Further phylogenetic analyses revealed that they shared the highest genetic identity (99.9%) with a
isolate (EU004820.1) from Germany. Our study is the first report on the identification and characterization of
infecting
in China, based on clinical findings and molecular diagnosis. Therefore, our study provides novel insights for the diagnosis of
infections and the prevention of nematode transmission in wild and domestic animals.
