mips 
Bats 
Pharmaceutical 
Causing the 
Decline of 
Three Species 
of Vultures 
Mbweha Camp, 
Nakuru 
Fri 9 to Sun 11 April 
Nothing organized for Easter weekend 
yet? No problem! 
Olorgesailie 
Join the Kenya Museum Society trip 
to Nakuru, staying at Mbweha 
campsite. There is a small restaurant, 
so you can buy meals there, or 
alternatively, bring your own food. 
There is a planned visit to the 
Prehistoric sites of Kariandusi and 
Hyrax Hill, and game drives to Nakuru 
National Park. Plenty of leisure time. 
Populations of three species of Gyps 
vultures (G. benga/ensis, G. 
tenuirostr/s, G. indicus) have declined 
by more than 95%, in the last 10 
years across South Asia. 
Take these rainy season excursions 
to Suswa to look at bats in caves 
on Sat 17 Apr '04 
& to the area around the 
Olorgesaillie Prehistoric Site to 
look insects on 
Sat 24 Apr '04 
A team of scientists from The 
Peregrine Fund along with local 
collaborators in Pakistan discovered 
that the major cause of the vulture 
mortalities and declines is a 
pharmaceutical called diclofenac. 
Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti¬ 
inflammatory drug that is given to 
people for pain and inflammation. 
Veterinary use of diclofenac to treat 
domestic livestock in South Asia has 
grown in the past decade and is now 
very widespread. 
Book at Nature Kenya front office at 
least 4 days in advance with Ksh 200 
and meet at the Nairobi Museum car 
park at 7:00 a.m. Carry packed 
lunch, drinking water, hat and 
comfortable shoes. 
Optional at additional cost: 
Cycling 
Night game drives 
Bandas (6600 per banda per night) 
** Please bring a fully charged smart 
card for entrance to Nakuru National 
Park, Nature Kenya membership card 
and camping gear. 
Transport- is by car pool (4WD 
needed for Suswa) and confirmation 
is subject to availability of vehicles. 
Organised by the Mammal and 
Insect Committees. 
Cost: Ksh 1500 per person including 
camping and conservancy fee at 
Mbweha. Does not include food or 
entrance fee to National Park. 
India has one of the highest numbers 
of livestock in the world, over 250 
million, but for religious and cultural 
reasons cows are not eaten, and it is 
only in southern India that cattle are 
buried. Diclofenac is easily available 
and affordable and is the most 
commonly used anti-inflammatory 
and anti-pyretic veterinary drug. The 
drug is extremely effective, but is not 
a cure and therefore sick animals 
treated with diclofenac ■die 
contaminated with large amounts of 
the drug. 
TALUKS $ VIPPOS 
Bats & Naked 
Mole Rats 
Mammals that shy 
from the sun 
by Bernard R Agwanda 
Talk and Video (35 mins) 
Mon 5 April '04 
5:30 p.m. Ford Hall, National 
Museums, Nairobi 
A whole economy has evolved from 
these dead carcasses. 
Continued on page 4 
NATURE KENYA, P. O. Box 44486, 00100 GPO Nairobi Tel: 3749957 / 3746090 Fax: 3741049 E-mail: offlce@naturekenya.org 
