Environmental Science Discipline of Khulna University organized a program, including a colourful rally, Sunday at its premises to mark the International Vulture Awareness Day.
With the help of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the district forest department and Prokriti O Jibon Foundation, and the Environmental Science Discipline organized the function at the Journalist Liakat Ali Auditorium in the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Academic Building around 11am.
Professor Salma Begum, head of the department, presided over the program where Professor AK Fazlul Haque attended as chief guest. Forest officer Muminul Ahsan andIUCN officer ABM Sarwar participated the function as special guests.
Speakers said vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats in many areas. There are 23 species of the bird in the world and seven of them are found in Bangladesh.
However, their numbers have decreased to around 250 in the country as many of these vultures died after eating carcasses of cattle that had been treated with diclofenac, an anti-pain drug, while food scarcity, ecological imbalance and climate change add to the situation, they said.
The government banned use of diclofenac in treating cattle in 2010 but rampant use of this medicine continues, they alleged.
They demanded imposition of a strict ban on diclofenac as well as ketoprofen, another animal medicine harmful for the vulture.
