White-rumped vulture
Gyps bengalensis
Samba (Swahili), Nsega (Luganda)
Habitat
Often near settlements and rubbish dumps
Conservation status
Critically endangered. In the 1990s, this formerly common species disappeared almost entirely from the Indian subcontinent as a result of poisoning by diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used in cattle. Vultures feeding on the carcasses of treated cattle die of kidney failure.
Biology
White-rumped vultures are still found in South and Southeast Asia.
Diorama
1955
Until 2014, the white-rumped vulture displayed here was labelled as a white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus). It is not known whether this was a result of confusion or whether simply no other vulture species was available for this diorama.
Provenance
13 February 1956, Basel Zoological Gardens