c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Not only do the Zoroastrians in India (called Parsis) face declining numbers, there is another disappearing population that threatens their sacred traditions: vultures.

The predatory birds are integral to the community’s traditional death ritual. At the top of a building in Mumbai called the “Towers of Silence,” the Parsis lay their dead on an open-air terrace to be eaten by vultures. Zoroastrians believe bodies should be disposed of in a way that does the least harm to other humans or nature.

But for years, there have not been enough birds.

Like the wider debate over conversion, the matter has deeply divided the community. Some push to replenish the bird population. Others say this tradition no longer works in modern times and is unhygienic for city living.

“No matter what is happening,” says Kainaz Unvalla, a 25-year-old Parsi in Mumbai, “I would still not opt for another means.”

Unvalla, a graphic designer who comes from a priestly family, explained that the people of her faith pray to the elements of nature. “We don’t burn bodies because that would be an insult to fire … and harm the atmosphere around us. We don’t bury bodies because of harming the earth.”

Her co-worker, Shirin Neterwalla, said, “They should think of something that is effective but sensitive to the religion.”

Neterwalla, 26, said vultures in the past would dispose of the deceased within hours; now, that process can take up to three years.

Currently, the community is using a solar panel to capture heat to help speed up decomposition, Unvalla said. But it is not a permanent solution.

To help the vulture population, India called for a ban last year on a veterinary drug that was killing the birds when they fed on animals, according to BirdLife International, a global partnership of conservation organizations.

In addition, various state governments, conservation groups and Parsi leaders have worked to create aviaries around the country to help breed vultures.

But Unvalla said there are no bird havens in Mumbai, so she is dubious about how much the aviaries will help.

“Reversing the decline will be a slow business: Vultures do not breed until 5 years old, and produce only one egg each year,” BirdLife International said. The organization classifies the birds as critically endangered and monitors the situation in India.

KRE/PH END ROSEN

Editors: See main story, RNS-ZORO-FUTURE, and related sidebar, RNS-ZORO-101, both transmitted March 27.