Vultures fight for their survival after drug devastates numbers

CHANGA MANGA, Pakistan - Once a common sight in the skies of Pakistan, today the white-backed vulture is facing extinction - its population devastated by the use of industrial drugs to breed the cattle whose carcasses they traditionally feed on.

Bird numbers have plummeted by more than 99 percent since the 1990s, according to the local branch of the World Wildlife Fund, which is attempting to ensure the species does not die out.

"Once vultures were found in a very good number in Pakistan," said Warda Javed, coordinator for the WWF backed Vulture Restoration Project.