With the help of local volunteers, vulture counting will also be done throughout the Far West Province.
What you should know
The 17th International Vulture Awareness Day is being celebrated with various programs throughout the country, including Kanchanpur.
Under the leadership of Nepal Bird Conservation Association (BCN), this day is being celebrated week-long from 16th to 22nd (September 1 to 7) in collaboration with various conservation partner organizations.
On this occasion, public awareness activities will be conducted for the protection of endangered vultures. BCA According to bird expert Hirulal Dagaura, this year in Far West Province, Ghodaghodi Community Forest Coordinating Committee of Kailali, Forest Science Study Institute of Dhangadhi, Kanchanpur Panchi Conservation Association Belauri and Shuklaphanta Nature Guide Association are going to organize various conservation education programs.
Similarly, he informed that vulture counting work will be conducted throughout the Far West Province with the help of local volunteers until September 6. He said that there are currently nine species of vultures in Far West, while Kanchanpur has eight species of vultures.
The vulture is called 'Nature's Kuchikar'. Choudhary, a bird expert who is called Kuchikar, says that vultures, which feed on dead and decaying animals, play an important role in keeping the environment clean and prevent the spread of epidemics such as cholera, diarrhea, rabies, plague, anthrax, and tuberculosis. According to him, vultures protect the environment from pollution as they depend only on food without hunting themselves.
But recently, the vulture has reached an endangered state. A scientific study has confirmed that the use of painkiller 'Diclofenac' is the main cause of vulture destruction. The vulture's diet has decreased due to the use of pesticides by farmers to save animals, felling of large trees, cutting into electric wires, and the use of modern agricultural equipment. In addition, statistics show that the vulture's habitat is being destroyed by natural disasters, fires, landslides, storms, etc.
Similarly, drugs like aciclofenac, ketoprofen, nimuslide, carprofen and flunixin have caused the death of vultures. Among the vultures found in Nepal, Dangar vulture, small gray vulture and golden vulture are classified as "critically endangered" by IUCN, while the gobre vulture is in "rare" status. Similarly, royal vulture and gray vulture visit Nepal as guests during winter. Although the Himalayan vulture is native to Nepal, it is mainly seen in the Terai during the winter months.
Vulture Conservation Day has been celebrated for the first time in Africa as 'National Awareness Day' since 2005, and since 2009 it has been celebrated globally as 'International Vulture Awareness Day'. It is said that the main purpose of celebrating the day is to increase awareness among the general public about the declining number of vultures, conservation efforts, challenges and their needs.
