The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, USA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Feb;1249:57-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06293.x. Epub 2011 Dec 16.
Vultures are nature's most successful scavengers, and they provide an array of ecological, economic, and cultural services. As the only known obligate scavengers, vultures are uniquely adapted to a scavenging lifestyle. Vultures' unique adaptations include soaring flight, keen eyesight, and extremely low pH levels in their stomachs. Presently, 14 of 23 (61%) vulture species worldwide are threatened with extinction, and the most rapid declines have occurred in the vulture-rich regions of Asia and Africa. The reasons for the population declines are varied, but poisoning or human persecution, or both, feature in the list of nearly every declining species. Deliberate poisoning of carnivores is likely the most widespread cause of vulture poisoning. In Asia, Gyps vultures have declined by >95% due to poisoning by the veterinary drug diclofenac, which was banned by regional governments in 2006. Human persecution of vultures has occurred for centuries, and shooting and deliberate poisoning are the most widely practiced activities. Ecological consequences of vulture declines include changes in community composition of scavengers at carcasses and an increased potential for disease transmission between mammalian scavengers at carcasses. There have been cultural and economic costs of vulture declines as well, particularly in Asia. In the wake of catastrophic vulture declines in Asia, regional governments, the international scientific and donor communities, and the media have given the crisis substantial attention. Even though the Asian vulture crisis focused attention on the plight of vultures worldwide, the situation for African vultures has received relatively little attention especially given the similar levels of population decline. While the Asian crisis has been largely linked to poisoning by diclofenac, vulture population declines in Africa have numerous causes, which have made conserving existing populations more difficult. And in Africa there has been little government support to conserve vultures despite mounting evidence of the major threats. In other regions with successful vulture conservation programs, a common theme is a huge investment of financial resources and highly skilled personnel, as well as political will and community support.
秃鹫是自然界中最成功的食腐动物，它们提供了一系列生态、经济和文化服务。作为唯一已知的专性食腐动物，秃鹫独特地适应了食腐的生活方式。秃鹫独特的适应性包括翱翔的飞行、敏锐的视力和胃部极低的 pH 值。目前，全世界 23 种秃鹫中有 14 种（61%）面临灭绝威胁，而在亚洲和非洲这些秃鹫丰富的地区，数量下降最为迅速。种群数量下降的原因多种多样，但中毒或人类迫害，或两者兼而有之，几乎在每个数量下降的物种中都有出现。故意毒害食肉动物可能是秃鹫中毒最广泛的原因。在亚洲，由于兽医药物双氯芬酸的毒害，Gyps 秃鹫的数量下降了超过 95%，该药物于 2006 年被地区政府禁止。人类对秃鹫的迫害已经持续了几个世纪，射杀和故意毒害是最广泛的活动。秃鹫数量下降的生态后果包括在尸体上食腐动物群落组成的变化，以及在尸体上哺乳动物食腐动物之间疾病传播的潜在增加。秃鹫数量下降也带来了文化和经济成本，特别是在亚洲。在亚洲秃鹫数量灾难性下降之后，地区政府、国际科学界和捐助界以及媒体都对这场危机给予了极大的关注。尽管亚洲秃鹫危机引起了全球范围内对秃鹫困境的关注，但非洲秃鹫的情况却相对较少受到关注，尤其是考虑到其种群数量下降的程度相似。虽然亚洲危机主要与双氯芬酸中毒有关，但非洲秃鹫的数量下降有许多原因，这使得保护现有种群更加困难。尽管有越来越多的证据表明存在重大威胁，但在非洲，政府几乎没有支持来保护秃鹫。在其他成功保护秃鹫的地区，一个共同的主题是大量的财政资源和高技能人员的投入，以及政治意愿和社区支持。
