LAHORE, Sept 2: There is a need to make efforts to protect white back vultures, which have decreased to 50 to 70 in number according to a recent survey of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

September 3 is the International Vulture Awareness Day and its aim is to highlight vulture conservation and awareness.

Vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats in many areas. Population of many vulture species is under pressure and some species are facing extinction.

According to WWF Biodiversity Director Uzma Khan, there are only 50 to 70 white back vultures left. She said these figures were gathered through a survey, which was conducted from December 2010 to March 2011. The vulture population in Pakistan is critically endangered, she added.

According to wildlife experts, there has been 95 per cent decrease in the population of white back vultures over the last few years and the vulture population in South Asia is critically endangered.

The main cause of this decline is diclofenac, a widely used anti-inflammatory drug in livestock.

In 2001, it was reported that there was 50 per cent decrease in the vulture population, but the recent studies put the figure at 95 per cent.