The uncomely vulture has immense human benefit, writes Ian Rose for the Washington Post. He reports on new research on the effects of a mass poisoning of vultures across India after the widespread adoption of an antiinflammatory drug in livestock. Small amounts of the drug in an animal carcass caused organ failure and rapid death in nearly all the vultures in the country, which led to a public health emergency when carcasses began piling up faster than they could be incinerated. Over five years, half a million human deaths are now attributed to disease and contamination from the excess carcasses, not to mention billions of dollars in money spent on cleanup, as well as additional human and environmental impacts. Rose also takes a look at the plight of vultures across the world. Photo: © Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA
