The birds must not die out, says Neloy Bandhyopadhyay

Last Friday, Alliance Française de Bangalore, saw a full house at a short film screening. Nothing unusual, except for the film. It wasn’t an art house movie, it wasn’t a biopic or any of the usual films that people expect. This was a documentary on the Gyps Vulture or Asian Vulture, which is slowly dying out. Called The Last Hope, it was a short 14-minute documentary shot in HD format by wildlife enthusiast and photographer Neloy Bandyopadhyay. 34-year-old Bandyopadhyay is a techie by profession and works for Wipro in Bangalore.

The genus Gyps Vulture consists of eight species of vultures, out of which five species are available in the Indian subcontinent.
These scavenger birds are extremely valuable for the ecosystem as they take care of dead carcasses. However, many of the species available in India are on the brink of extinction. Scientists estimate that the decline in vulture population is one of the fastest in the animal kingdom. Three species of the Gyps Vulture (White-backed, Slender-billed and Long-billed vultures) have already been placed on the top of the list of Indian Schedule I and IUCN Critically Endangered categories. Bandyopadhyay estimates that some species of the Gyps Vulture “have faced 90% decline in just over the last two decades.”

Conservationists and researchers have identified the primary cause of this decline in India. It is a drug called Diclofenac used on sick cattle and livestock. Bandyopadhyay explains: “Cattle in India, particularly the ones that work on fields, suffer from pain and related sickness when they grow a little old. Diclofenac is used by farmers as a pain-killer. It is a very effective anti-inflammatory drug and cures the cattle almost overnight.”
What is not known widely is that this drug has a lethal effect on the vultures. When the birds feed on carcass containing Diclofenac, they die within a fortnight, suffering from kidney failure and visceral gout. The drug is technically banned by the Indian government for veterinary use. “But it is still available for human use. Our farmers are very poor and do not have much awareness about the lethal side effects on scavenger birds. They do resort to using the drug for sick cattle because it is cheap and effective,” rues Bandyopadhyay.

The Last Hope is an effort to spread awareness amongst people about the way this drug is wiping out the vulture population. The film documents the struggles of the vulture conservationists in India, the tough battle that activists are fighting to protect the birds and also aims to highlight the threats to the very survival of these scavengers.

Bandyopadhyay shot extensively across India, including in and around Corbett National Park , villages of Uttarakhand, in Madhya Pradesh and in Ram Nagar, on the way to Mysore from Bangalore. It was an entirely self-funded venture. The English version has been released for scientists, researchers, conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts. Now Bandyopadhyay is working on regional language versions. “I am desperately seeking funds as I ran out of budget,” he confesses. But that’s not going to make this eco-warrior stop. “We need to reach the message to the villagers through NGOs and conservationists. I am working on the Hindi version now, which should be ready in a month,” he says.

The film got an overwhelming response from the audiences in Bangalore and across conservationists in India. Several NGOs have stepped forward to carry the message across. They want to use the film for spreading awareness amongst cattle owners. Corbett National Park is also going to use the film as part of their outreach and awareness campaign. And Bandyopadhyay is inviting any outfit that is interested in the issue to come, use his film to raise awareness about the danger of extinction that the Gyps Vulture faces. “The birds must not die out,” he says.
For details contact: bneloy@gmail.com or log on to www.neloy.in