Nepal marks 17th international vulture awareness day with weeklong conservation campaign

Kanchanpur: The 17th International Vulture Awareness Day is being observed across Nepal, including Kanchanpur, with a series of awareness and conservation activities starting today.

Led by the Bird Conservation Association of Nepal (BCN), the campaign runs from Bhadra 16 to 22 (September 1–7) in collaboration with multiple conservation partner organizations. Public awareness programs highlighting the urgent need to protect endangered vultures will be carried out nationwide.

According to BCN ornithologist Hirulal Dagaura, several conservation education initiatives are being organized in the Far West Province in partnership with the Ghodaghodi Community Forest Coordination Committee (Kailali), the Institute of Forestry Studies (Dhangadhi), the Kanchanpur Bird Conservation Association (Belauri), and the Shuklaphanta Nature Guide Association. A vulture census is also underway across the Far West until September 6, supported by local volunteers. Currently, nine species of vultures are found in the province, with eight species recorded in Kanchanpur alone.

Often referred to as “nature’s scavengers,” vultures play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by consuming animal carcasses, thereby preventing the spread of diseases such as cholera, typhus, diarrhea, rabies, plague, anthrax, and tuberculosis, said ornithologist Chaudhary. Unlike predators, vultures rely solely on carrion, helping keep the environment clean.

Despite their importance, vultures have become increasingly endangered. Scientific research confirms that the widespread use of the veterinary painkiller Diclofenac is the leading cause of their decline. Additional threats include pesticide use on carcasses, habitat destruction from tree felling and natural disasters, electrocution from power lines, and reduced food availability due to modern farming practices. Drugs such as aceclofenac, ketoprofen, nimesulide, carprofen, and flunixin have also been linked to vulture deaths.

Among Nepal’s vulture species, the white-rumped vulture, slender-billed vulture, and red-headed vulture are listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the IUCN, while the griffon vulture is classified as rare. The cinereous vulture and Eurasian griffon vulture are winter visitors, while the Himalayan vulture, a native species, is mostly seen in the Terai during winter.

First celebrated in Africa in 2005 as National Awareness Day, the initiative expanded globally in 2009 as International Vulture Awareness Day. Its core objective is to raise public awareness about the declining vulture population, conservation challenges, and urgent need for protection.