Rituals honoring the dead are under threat in India due to a sharp decline in the vulture population. We are talking about the poisoning of these birds, the publication explains. El Espanol.
In Zoroastrian ceremonies, performed for thousands of years in Parsi communities, the dead are placed in structures called dakhma (towers of silence). These round, raised buildings are designed in such a way that the corpse does not pollute the sacred elements of earth, fire and water. Traditionally, corpses are placed on top of these towers, where they decompose naturally and the flesh is devoured by vultures and other birds of prey. The bones are then collected in the center of the tower, where rainwater, coal and sand cause them to disappear until they are carried out to sea.
The culprit behind the indiscriminate deaths of vultures in the India-Pakistan region is the anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac. A substance that is administered en masse to farm animals and which, after death, enters the bodies of vultures when they ingest the carcass. Painful swelling, inflammation and kidney failure are symptoms that these birds suffer from. As a result, 97% of the three main vulture species in these regions have already disappeared.
Due to the current situation, members of the Parsi community have decided to cremate or bury their loved ones, thereby abandoning the tradition.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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