In a move to protect vultures, the government has banned the sale of ketoprofen and aceclofenac, two pain-relieving veterinary drugs used for treating livestock. The ministry of health and family welfare in a notification dated July 31, 2023 prohibited the manufacture, sale and distribution of these two drugs. The notification added that safer alternatives are available. Another painkiller, diclofenac, was banned in 2006, but reportedly continues to be used to treat livestock. Vultures were once the integral factor in the disposal of the Parsi dead at the towers of silence.
The two drugs are harmful for cattle and kill vultures that......