Accidentally poisoning scavenging birds across South Asia, some communities in the region are forced to abandon their ancient customs.
The traditional rituals of the Parsi community (Zoroastrianism) are becoming increasingly difficult to perform due to the rapid decline of vultures in India, Iran, and Pakistan. The main causes are attributed to mass urbanization and the use of chemicals in livestock farming in South Asia.
97% of vultures in South Asia have disappeared, according to a 2007 survey. (Photo: Bird Count India).
Sky Burial
For millennia, the Parsi community has had a tradition of burying the deceased on structures called Tower of Silence (dakhma). According to Parsi beliefs, placing the dead at the top of the tower prevents pollution and preserves the three sacred elements of earth, fire, and water in the body.
Over time, Parsi corpses decompose and emit a distinct odor. Based on this smell, nearby vultures will come to consume the remains. At this point, what remains at the top of the tower is just a white skeleton. After a year exposed to the elements, the skeleton is moved to the center of the Tower of Silence for further decomposition. Ultimately, the ashes are filtered through charcoal and sand before being washed out to sea.
A painting of two Towers of Silence of the Parsi. (Photo: Wikimedia).
“We can no longer perform our customs,” said Hoshang Kapadia, an 80-year-old resident of Karachi. “Human activities have diminished our traditions.”
Kapadia explained that the purpose of the Parsi practice of “sky burial” is to “return everything” to the world. “Even in death, we do not wish to pollute the Earth,” he stated.
Karachi, located beside the Arabian Sea, is home to about 800 Parsis. The city has only two Towers of Silence remaining for the “sky burial” practice. However, in recent years, both towers have been nearly unused.
“The keen eyesight of vultures can assist the human soul in transitioning from this world to the next. Offering the deceased’s body to vultures is considered the holiest act of the Parsis,” said Shirin, a Parsi living in Karachi.
“The mass urbanization and changes in living environments in Karachi have forced us to pause our ‘sky burial’ practice. The Towers of Silence should be built on hilltops and away from residential areas,” he added. “Our tradition is dying, especially as the environment changes more and more.”
97% of Vultures Disappear
Unlike other scavenger species, vultures are obligate scavengers. This means that they cannot flexibly switch between fresh meat and carrion like hyenas, wild dogs, or crows; they can only eat the remains of decomposing animals.
In recent decades, vultures across India have been dying en masse. The primary cause is poisoning from the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, which is used for livestock in India and Pakistan.
When livestock treated with anti-inflammatory drugs die, vultures that consume them subsequently develop swelling, infections, renal failure, and die. A study in 2007 in India showed that approximately 97% of vultures in the country and surrounding areas have disappeared.
The Tower of Silence in Karachi has hardly been used in recent years. (Photo: flickr).
The Parsi community in India is exploring ways to breed vultures in captivity and using “solar concentrator devices” to expedite the “sky burial” ritual. However, since the solar concentrator devices only work in clear weather, some Parsis are forced to bury their dead in traditional ways rather than performing the “pure” disposal according to their faith.
“Parsis in Karachi are forced to choose other burial methods such as cremation or traditional cemetery burials because the two Towers of Silence have become non-functional,” Kapadia explained.
He further stated that some community members proposed raising a small group of vultures to perform this traditional ritual. However, after a time in captivity, they decided to release them back into the wild to bolster the local vulture population.
To prevent the extinction of vulture species, scientists recommend that authorities in South Asia ban the use of diclofenac in livestock farming. Currently, a ban on diclofenac has been implemented in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
