Biological and Life Sciences

• Documented the catastrophic decline of Gyps vultures at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, which drew international attention to the crisis.
• Contributed core scientific evidence demonstrating that veterinary diclofenac was responsible for widespread Gyps vulture mortality.
• Founded and led the BNHS Vulture Conservation Programme from 1997 until retirement in 2022.
• Directed India’s conservation breeding programme for three critically endangered Gyps vultures.
• Developed protocols for artificial incubation, double clutching, and chick swapping, resulting in the production of approximately 344 vultures.
• Led national monitoring programmes assessing population trends and recovery of wild Gyps vultures.
• Collaborated with national and international partners to evaluate veterinary NSAID safety and identify safe alternatives to diclofenac.
• Contributed to India’s Action Plan for Vulture Conservation and authored the Working Manual for Conservation Breeding Programmes.
• Promoted the establishment of Vulture Safe Zones to reduce threats from toxic veterinary drugs.
• Mentored PhD students on research spanning avian ecology, genetics, and conservation, including studies on the wintering ecology of Marsh Harriers at Keoladeo National Park, the ecology of captive-bred Siberian Cranes, and the genetic diversity and microflora of captive vulture populations at the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore. The research also covered the ecology and conservation of the resident Gyps vulture species in West Bengal and Saurashtra, Gujarat.

Vulture Research and Conservation

• van der Merwe, P.-H., Siddappa, C.M., Mathesh, K., Naidoo, V., & Prakash, V. (2026). The pharmacokinetics of tolfenamic acid in Himalayan Griffon vultures: A better understanding of the safety of the drug in Old World vultures. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 123, 104977.
• Cook, S.E., Green, R.E., Lieberherr, E., Bowden, C.G.R., Chaudhry, M.J.I., Alam, A.B.M.S., Bharathidasan, S., Prakash, V., Ghoshal, A., Margalida, A., Shobrak, M., & Thapa, I. (2024). Current policies in Europe and South Asia do not prevent veterinary use of drugs toxic to vultures. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 5, e12357. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12357
• Prakash, V., Bajpai, H., Chakraborty, S.S., Singh, M., Mallord, J.W., Prakash, N., Ranade, S.P., Shringarpure, R.N., Bowden, C.G.R., & Green, R.E. (2024). Recent trends in populations of Critically Endangered Gyps vultures in India. Bird Conservation International, 34, e1, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270923000394
• Mathesh, K., Manickam, K., Mallord, J.W., Mahendran, K., Kumar, M.A., Saikia, D., Mohan, S.C., Beena, V., Lakshmi, P.S., Prakash, N., Shringarpure, R., Pawde, A.M., Green, R.E., Naidoo, V., & Prakash, V. (2023). Experimental safety testing confirms that the NSAID nimesulide is toxic to Gyps vultures in India. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 103, 104284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2023.104284
• Chandramohan, S., Mallord, J.W., Mathesh, K., Sharma, A.K., Mahendran, K., Kesavan, M., Gupta, R., Chutia, K., Pawde, A., Prakash, N.V., Ravichandran, P., Saikia, D., Shringarpure, R., Timung, A., Galligan, T.H., Green, R.E., & Prakash, V. (2022). Experimental safety testing shows that the NSAID tolfenamic acid is not toxic to Gyps vultures in India at concentrations likely to be encountered in cattle carcasses. Science of the Total Environment, 809, 152088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152088
• Galligan, T.H., Mallord, J.W., Prakash, V., Bhusal, K.P., Alam, A.B.M.S., Anthony, F.M., Dave, R., Dube, A., Shastri, K., Kumar, Y., Prakash, N., Ranade, S., Shringarpure, R., Chapagain, D., Chaudhary, I.P., Joshi, A., Paudel, K., Tarik, K., Ahmed, S., Azmiri, K., Cuthbert, R.J., Bowden, C.G.R., & Green, R.E. (2021). Trends in the availability of the vulture-toxic drug diclofenac and other NSAIDs in South Asia, as revealed by covert pharmacy surveys. Bird Conservation International, 31(3), 337–353. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270920000477
• Prakash, V., Galligan, T.H., Chakraborty, S.S., Dave, R., Kulkarni, M.D., Prakash, N., Shringarpure, R.N., Ranade, S.P., & Green, R.E. (2019). Recent changes in populations of Critically Endangered Gyps vultures in India. Bird Conservation International, 29(1), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270917000545
• Shringarpure, R.N., Kulkarni, M.D., Sawant, C., Bhagwat, A., Galligan, T.H., & Prakash, V. (2014). Aerobic culturable microflora in resident Gyps vulture species of India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 111(1), 29–35.
• Galligan, T.H., Amano, T., Prakash, V., Kulkarni, M.D., Shringarpure, R., Prakash, N., Ranade, S., Green, R.E., & Cuthbert, R.J. (2014). Have population declines in Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture in India slowed since the 2006 ban on veterinary diclofenac? Bird Conservation International, 1–10.
• Prakash, V., Bishwakarma, M.C., Chaudhry, A., Cuthbert, R., Dave, R., Kulkarni, M., Kumar, S., Paudel, K., Ranade, S., Shringarpure, R., & Green, R.E. (2012). The population decline of Gyps vultures in India and Nepal has slowed since veterinary use of diclofenac was banned. PLoS ONE, 7(11), e49118. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0049118
• Ghorpade, P.B., Gupta, P.K., Prakash, V., Cuthbert, R.J., Kulkarni, M., Prakash, N., Sharma, A.K., Das, A., & Saini, M. (2012). Molecular sexing of threatened Gyps vultures: An important strategy for conservation breeding and ecological studies. SpringerPlus, 1(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-1-62
• Cuthbert, R., Taggart, M.A., Prakash, V., Saini, M., Swarup, D., Upreti, S., Mateo, R., Chakraborty, S.S., Deori, P., & Green, R.E. (2011). Effectiveness of action in India to reduce exposure of Gyps vultures to the toxic veterinary drug diclofenac. PLoS ONE, 6, e19069.
• Cuthbert, R.J., Prakash, V., Saini, M., Upreti, S., Swarup, D., Das, A., Green, R.E., & Taggart, M. (2011). Are conservation actions reducing the threat to India’s vulture populations? Current Science, 101(11), 1480–1484.
• Cuthbert, R.J., Dave, R., Chakraborty, S.S., Kumar, S., Prakash, S., Ranade, S.P., & Prakash, V. (2011). Assessing the ongoing threat from veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to critically endangered Gyps vultures in India. Oryx, 45, 420–426. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605311000135
• Das, D., Cuthbert, R., Jakati, R.D., & Prakash, V. (2010). Diclofenac is toxic to the Griffon Vulture Gyps himalayensis. Bird Conservation International.
• Cuthbert, R., Prakash, V., Bowden, C.G.R., Das, D., Green, R.E., Jhala, Y.V., Pain, D.J., Senacha, K.R., Shah, N., & Taggart, M.A. (2009). The role of veterinary diclofenac in the decline of vulture populations in South Asia. Indian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 29(2), 80–85.
• Muralidharan, S., Dhananjayan, V., Risebrough, R., Prakash, V., Jayakumar, R., & Bloom, P.H. (2008). Persistent organochlorine pesticide residues in tissues and eggs of White-backed Vulture, Gyps bengalensis, from different locations in India. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-008-9529-z
• Pain, D.J., Bowden, C.G.R., Cunningham, A.A., Cuthbert, R., Das, D., Gilbert, M., Jakati, R.D., Jhala, Y., Khan, A.A., Naidoo, V., Oaks, J.L., Parry-Jones, J., Prakash, V., Rahmani, A., Ranade, S.P., Baral, H.S., Senacha, K.R., Saravanan, S., Watson, R.T., Virani, M.Z., Wolter, K., & Green, R.E. (2008). The race to prevent the extinction of South Asian vultures. Bird Conservation International, 18, S30–S48. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270908000324
• Swarup, D., Patra, R.C., Prakash, V., Cuthbert, R., Das, D., Avari, P., Pain, D.J., Green, R.E., Sharma, A.K., Saini, M., & Taggart, M. (2007). The safety of meloxicam to critically endangered Gyps vultures and other scavenging birds in India. Animal Conservation, 10, 192–198.
• Knopp, D., Deng, A., Letzel, M., Taggart, M., Himmelsbach, M., Zhu, Q.-Z., Peröbner, I., Kudlak, B., Frey, S., Sengl, M., Buchberger, W., Hutchinson, C., Cunningham, A.A., Pain, D., Cuthbert, R., Raab, A., Meharg, A., Swan, G., Jhala, Y., Prakash, V., Rahmani, A., Quevedo, M., & Niessner, R. (2007). Immunological determination of the pharmaceutical diclofenac in environmental and biological samples. In I.R. Kennedy et al. (Eds.), Rational Environmental Management of Agrochemicals: Risk Assessment, Monitoring, and Remedial Actions (ACS Symposium Series, Vol. 966, pp. 203–226). American Chemical Society/Oxford University Press.
• Reddy, A., Prakash, V., & Sivaji. (2007). Rapid, non-invasive PCR-based method for identification of sex of the endangered Old World Vulture (White-backed Vulture): Implications for captive breeding programmes. Current Science, 92(5), 659–662.
• Cuthbert, R., Green, R.E., Ranade, S., Saravanan, S., Pain, D.J., Prakash, V., & Cunningham, A.A. (2006). Population trends of Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus in India. Animal Conservation, 9, 349–354.
• Swan, G.E., Naidoo, V., Cuthbert, R., Green, R.E., Pain, D.J., Swarup, D., Prakash, V., Taggart, M., Bekker, L., Das, D., Diekmann, J., Diekmann, M., Killian, E., Meharg, A., Patra, R.C., Saini, M., & Wolter, K. (2006). Removing the threat of diclofenac to critically endangered Asian vultures. PLoS Biology, 4, e66. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0040066
• Cardoso, M., Hyatt, A., Selleck, P., Lowther, S., Prakash, V., Pain, D., Cunningham, A.A., & Boyle, D. (2005). Phylogenetic analysis of the DNA polymerase gene of a novel alphaherpesvirus isolated from an Indian Gyps vulture. Virus Genes, 30, 371–381.
• Prakash, V., Green, R.E., Rahmani, A.R., Pain, D.J., Virani, M.Z., Khan, A.A., Baral, H.S., Jhala, Y.V., Naroji, R., Shah, N., Bowden, C.G.R., Choudhary, B.C., Narayan, G., & Gautam, P. (2005). Evidence to support that diclofenac caused catastrophic vulture population decline. Current Science, 88, 1533–1534.
• Green, R.E., Newton, I., Shultz, S., Baral, H.S., Cunningham, A.A., Gilbert, M., Pain, D.J., & Prakash, V. (2004). Diclofenac poisoning as a cause of vulture population declines across the Indian subcontinent. Journal of Applied Ecology, 41, 793–800.
• Shultz, S., Baral, H.S., Charman, S., Cunningham, A.A., Das, D., Ghalsasi, G.R., Goudar, M.S., Green, R.E., Jones, A., Nighot, P., Pain, D.J., & Prakash, V. (2004). Diclofenac poisoning is widespread in declining vulture populations across the Indian subcontinent. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (Biology Letters Supplement). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2004.0223
• Cunningham, A.A., Prakash, V., Pain, D., Ghalsasi, G.R., Wells, G.A.H., Kolte, G.N., Nighot, P., Goudar, M.S., Kshirsagar, S., & Rahmani, A. (2003). Indian vultures: Victims of an infectious disease epidemic? Animal Conservation, 6, 189–197.
• Pain, D.J., Cunningham, A.A., Donald, P.F., Duckworth, J.W., Houston, D.C., Katzner, T., Parry-Jones, J., Poole, C., Prakash, V., Round, P., & Timmins, R. (2003). Gyps vulture declines in Asia: Temporal and spatial trends, causes and impacts. Conservation Biology, 17, 661–671.
• Prakash, V., Pain, D.J., Cunningham, A.A., Donald, P.F., Prakash, N., Verma, A., Gargi, R., Sivakumar, S., & Rahmani, A.R. (2003). Catastrophic collapse of Indian White-backed Gyps bengalensis and Long-billed Gyps indicus vulture populations. Biological Conservation, 109, 381–390.
• Prakash, V. (1999). Status of vultures in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, with special reference to population crash in Gyps species. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 96, 365–378.

Other Research Contributions

Raptor Research

• Sharma, A. K., Saini, M., Singh, S. D., Prakash,V., Das, A., Dashan,B.R., Pandey,S., Bohara, D., Galligan, T. H., Green, R., Knoff, D., Cuthbert, R. (2013). Diclofenac is toxic to the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis): Widening the diversity of raptors threatened by NSAIDS misuse in South Asia. Bird Conservation International. 24,pp. 282-286. https://doi.org/10.1017/S09592709/30006096
• Sivakumar, S. & Prakash, V. (2004). Sexual dimorphism in Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes. Forktail, 20, 139.
• Sivakumar, S., Singha, H., & Prakash, V. (2004). Notes on population density and feeding ecology of the Collared Falconet Microhierax caerulescens in Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India. Forktail, 20, 97–98.
• Parry, J., Clark, W.S., & Prakash, V. (2002). On the taxonomic status of the Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastata. Ibis. 109 Pages: 12. British Ornithologists’ Union
• Prakash, V., Prakash, N.V., & Clark, W.S. (1994). Oriental Honey Buzzard: A new species for the Andaman Islands. Forktail. 9: 156–157.
• Clarke, R., Prakash, V., Clark, W.S., Ramesh, N., & Scott, D. (1988). World record count of roosting harriers Circus in Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar, Gujarat, north-west India. Forktail, 14, 70-71
• Prakash, V. (1989). Population and distribution of raptors in Keoladeo National Park. In B.U. Meyburg & R.D. Chancellor (Eds.), Raptors in the Modern World: Proceedings of the III World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls, pp. 129–138. World Working Group on Birds of Prey.

Other Bird Research

• Pain, D.J., Gargi, R., Cunningham, A.A., Jones, A., & Prakash, V. (2004). Mortality of globally threatened Sarus Cranes Grus antigone from monocrotophos poisoning in India. Science of the Total Environment, 326(1–3), 55–61.
• Ronald, T., Das, P., & Prakash, V. (1987). A recent survey of 19th-century wintering sites for Siberian Cranes in the Gangetic Basin. In G.W. Archibald & R.F. Pasquier (Eds.), Proceedings of the 1983 International Crane Workshop, Bharatpur, India, pp. 197–208. International Crane Foundation.

Other Research

• Ranade, S.P. & Prakash, V. (2016). Parasitization of a huntsman spider (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae: Heteropoda venatoria) by a mermithid nematode (Nematoda: Mermithidae). Journal of Threatened Taxa, 8(13), 9595–9596. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3105.8.13.9595-9596
• B Epstein, J.H., Prakash, V., Smith, C.S., Daszak, P., Jakati, R.D., McLaughlin, A.B., Meehan, G., Field, H.E., & Cunningham, A.A. (2008). Henipavirus infection in fruit bats (Pteropus giganteus), India. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 14(8), 1309–1311. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1408.071492
• McLaughlin, A.B., Epstein, J.H., Prakash, V., Smith, C.S., Daszak, P., Field, H.E., & Cunningham, A.A. (2007). Plasma biochemistry and hematologic values for wild-caught flying foxes (Pteropus giganteus) in India. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 38, 446–452.