The Vultures in India:
A Lesson to Learn

By Noor

Over the last 10 to 20 years, vultures in India have gone from numerous and widespread to almost completely extinct. Some sources report that just 0.1% of the original population has survived (99.9% gone). Many possible reasons have been cited, such as habitat loss, ingestion of DDT and other pesticides, and poisoning or shooting. The most likely culprit seems to be an anti-inflammatory drug called Diclofenac, which is given to cattle in large amounts and has been proven to be very toxic to vultures. When the vultures eat the remains of the drugged cattle, it causes renal failure, and they soon starve and die. Regardless of the specific reason, however, what is certain is that the decline is man-made.

Some have hailed the disappearance of the vultures as a blessing, as the birds are often considered unclean, aggressive, and undesirable. However, it is now being realized that they played a vital role in the ecosystem as carrion eaters and scavengers, and the loss of this role is having a direct and deadly effect on humans:

"A research programme led by Anil Markandya of the University of Bath, UK, has calculated that the decline of vultures made way for at least 5.5 million extra feral dogs in India between 1992 and 2006. During this period, these extra dogs would have been responsible for at least 38.5 million bites. National surveys show that in India 123 people die of rabies per 100,000 dog bites, suggesting that a minimum of 47,300 people may have died as a result of the vulture die-off (Ecological Economics, DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.04.020). Taking account of the cost of treating bite victims and dealing with the extra deaths, the researchers calculate that the use of Diclofenac has indirectly cost India an unforeseen 34 BILLION US Dollars in extra health costs."
(Source: http://10000birds.com/vultures-diclofenac-rabies-and-ecological-unravelling.htm)

Maitreya has always taught that one of the reasons behind God's Kosher rules is that many of the unclean animals are carrion eaters and bottom feeders, and reducing their numbers will cause devastating problems. The loss of the vultures in India and the effect it has had is a poignant example of this. When humanity eats (or destroys by other means) the animals whose Dharma it is to clean up waste and garbage, they have no one but themselves to blame for the consequences, such as the environment becoming polluted and unlivable, or, in this case, creating room for even less desirable animals to flourish.

Our contact in British Columbia, Andrew Harris, was the one to send us this information and see the lesson within it (all thanks to God). It is indeed an excellent example of what happens when God's Laws are ignored. It also reminds us that His Laws always have reasons behind them, and we should follow them because we know that they are Logical and for our own good. They are here for us; not to bind us, but to free us, to show us the path to our greatest potential. Hopefully disasters such as these will help humanity remember this, and return to God's Way. All thanks and Glory to Him.

Sources:
1. http://10000birds.com/vultures-diclofenac-rabies-and-ecological-unravelling.htm
2. http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/9933
3. http://www.the-south-asian.com/feb2004/india_vulture__dying_species.htm
4. http://www.plentymag.com/blogs/extinction/2008/08/
lastminute_drug_ban_could_save.php