Deadly span: On vulture safety in India, threat of electrocution

The threat facing India’s vulture population has shifted from chemical poisoning to electrocution as the country’s power infrastructure expands, experts warn. While diclofenac and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) devastated vulture numbers in the 1990s and early 2000s, the growing network of power lines now poses a growing danger. The white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture, and slender-billed vulture—once numbering in the millions—were nearly wiped out by veterinary drug poisoning, with populations falling by 99.5% by 2007. Though bans on diclofenac and related drugs like aceclofenac and ketoprofen have helped, electrocution from unsafe power lines threatens to slow the species’ recovery.

A 2025 survey found that vultures are now nesting at only half of their historical sites across India. The problem is particularly acute in areas where power lines intersect with vulture feeding grounds. Vultures, with their wide wingspans, often span two power lines when landing or taking off, resulting in fatal electrocution. They are also drawn to elevated structures and open landscapes, where scavengers congregate near predictable food sources—including dumping sites near electricity installations. A recent study in the Journal of Threatened Taxa highlighted a case near Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, where relocating a livestock carcass dump just 2.4 kilometers away from high-tension power lines significantly reduced vulture deaths.

Research published in the American Economic Review in 2024 linked the earlier collapse of vulture populations to a rise in feral dog populations and rabies outbreaks. With fewer vultures to consume carcasses, India faced an estimated $69.4 billion annual cost in human mortality and associated damages. Now, electrocution adds a new layer of risk. Even medium-voltage lines, not just high-tension ones, have been shown to kill large raptors like Egyptian vultures and steppe eagles, according to assessments conducted for the State Climate Resilient Power System Development Project.

Experts emphasize that underreporting is likely, as dead birds are often removed by humans or scavenged before documentation can occur. Persistent mortality from electrocution alone could drive local vulture populations to extinction. To mitigate the threat, researchers recommend separating vulture feeding sites from power infrastructure. Other proven conservation measures include insulating conductors, increasing the clearance between live and grounded components, and installing safe perches designed to prevent birds from bridging electrical gaps.

With India rapidly expanding its power grid, proactive measures are needed to protect vulture populations before electrocution becomes as destructive as the NSAID crisis of past decades.

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