Description:
🦅 **International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) 2025 – Event Registration** 📅 August–September | Dedicated day: *6 September 2025* 📍 Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India **Organizer:** Kartik Shastri - Member, *IUCN Vulture Specialist Group* - Executive Member, *Bird Conservation Society Gujarat* - Trustee, *Jivdaya Charitable Trust* **Event Overview:** To mark IVAD 2025, we will conduct two key awareness sessions: 1. 🐄 **Community Outreach at Local Panjrapole** Volunteers, skinners, and local animal owners will engage in discussions on vulture ecology, the role of scavengers, and simple ways to support vulture-safe practices. Focus will be placed on proper carcass disposal and avoiding harmful drugs in livestock treatment. **Online Talk for Veterinary Doctors** This session will spotlight the critical intersection between veterinary care and vulture conservation. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding and eliminating the use of **Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)** known to cause vulture mortality when consumed via livestock carcasses. ❌ **Vulture-toxic NSAIDs to avoid:** - *Diclofenac* - *Nimesulide* - *Ketoprofen* ✅ **Vulture-safe alternative:** - *Meloxicam* — extensively studied and recognized as safe for vultures when used in livestock. Veterinary professionals will be equipped with practical, field-ready guidelines for prescribing safe medication, improving carcass management, and communicating best practices to animal owners.