Awareness programme for pharmacists on banned veterinary drugs that affect wildlife held

An awareness programme for pharmacists to sensitise them about banned veterinary drugs that affect wildlife, specifically endangered vulture species, was held recently at Cairn Hill in Udhagamandalam.

The event was organised by Arulagam, a conservation NGO with the participation of the Department of Drug Control, State Forest Department as well as the Department of Animal Husbandry. Pharmacists from 40 pharmacies from Coonoor, Udhagamandalam, Kotagiri, Gudalur, Pandalur and Manjoor in the Nilgiris participated, a press release said.

S. Marimuthu, Assistant Director, Coimbatore North Zone, Department of Drug Control, Government of Tamil Nadu, highlighted the swift action taken by the government after the ban on Nimesulide. “A circular was immediately sent to every available drug outlet,” he stated.

“We conducted raids, ensured immediate return of banned drugs in stock, and revoked licences of pharmacies that violated the ban.” He added that drug inspectors are closely monitoring bulk medicine purchases. Due to regular instructions from Government Health and Environment Secretaries and the Director of the Drug Control Department, 99% of banned drugs are no longer available in retail sales, he said.

Meanwhile, M. Dhayanandan, Forest Range Officer, Siriyur, spoke of the synchronised survey conducted for vultures across three States, highlighting the current population and nest counts. He also spoke about the ongoing Forest Department efforts to remove lantana camara plants, continuous monitoring in the nesting areas, compensation for cattle killed by tiger attacks, and awareness programmes for students and other stakeholders, the press release added.

S. Bharathidasan, secretary, Arulagam, delivered a presentation titled “Vultures: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.” He spoke of the cause for the sudden decline in vulture population over a short period in India, the current trends, and the steps being taken by Central and State government departments to maintain and restore the population. He also highlighted steps that needed to be taken to increase vulture population and said that if vultures go extinct, that the Nilgiris biosphere will be greatly affected, emphasising the need for collaborative efforts to safeguard the future of vultures.

Also present at the event was C. Sreekumar from the Tamil Nadu University of Veterinary Sciences, K. Gopal, president, Nilgiris District Drug Dealers Association, Sridhar, a wildlife zoo veterinarian, as well as volunteers from Arulagam.

Published - June 04, 2025 06:48 pm IST