The centre's research confirmed that the use of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in cattle was a critical factor in the decline of vulture populations.
Fossil records of vultures have been found going as far back as 20 million years ago, from which the Gyps species evolved.
[11] Vultures are scavengers with a high tolerance for the pathogens found in their primary meal of rotting animal carcasses.
[13] Reduction of vulture numbers has led to an increase in the availability of carrion to other species, resulting in an estimated 7 million more feral dogs who inflicted 40 million more dog bites between 1993 and 2016, causing an estimated 48,000 excess human deaths by rabies and US$34 billion in loss to the economy of India.
Though the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the sparrow as a species of least concern globally, its numbers have been declining regionally, especially in Punjab and Haryana.
The centre's research confirmed the discovery that the use of anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in cattle was a critical factor in the decline of vulture populations.
[6] The Government of India banned the veterinary use of the drug in 2007–2008 as a result of research done at the centre; since then the use of diclofenac has diminished significantly, but it still remains a threat.
So, if these valuable species [go] extinct, we will be held guilty for their disappearance.”JCBC houses the following four species, three critically endangered and one threatened, for breeding and conservation:[6][14] JCBC is world's largest facility in terms of numbers of vultures,[1] hosting an ever increasing 250 vultures in 2017[6] and growing annually at a rate of more than 17% per year.
[6] JCBC has successfully released captured and rehabilitated as well as captive-bred vultures back into the wild after proper acclimatization and preparation.
[6] These two vultures were brought in in 2005 to lay eggs for breeding and were released into the wild in 2016, but could not be tracked due to the lack of satellite tracker.
[19] In 2017, out of 250 vultures, 90 were caught for breeding and 160 have been bred in captivity in the natural setting of the Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary, which facilitates rehabilitation in a phased manner under wild-like conditions for eventual release.