GPS devices being installed on vultures in Shuklaphanta National Park

Kanchanpur: GPS tracking devices are being installed on vultures in Shuklaphanta National Park to monitor their movement and habitat. The installation work is taking place in Hirapur Phata and Tarapur Phata areas of the park.

According to Hirulal Dagoura, Project Field Officer of the Nepal Bird Conservation Association, GPS has been installed on five vultures in Hirapur and Tarapur Phata in the 14 days before Dashain. Installation on five more vultures is planned after Tihar, with a target to equip a total of ten dungar vultures this year.

“So far, we have managed to catch five vultures, and all have been released after installing the GPS,” Dagoura said. “Last year, vultures did not enter the net for 19 days, and we were able to install GPS only on the second attempt.” Last year, GPS devices were installed on 14 vultures, including 10 black vultures and four small grey vultures, in the park area, and a study is underway to track their movement range.

The GPS devices help monitor vulture activities, identify feeding zones, and ensure the safety of their migratory routes. Areas where vultures are found dead are considered high-risk zones. Dagoura explained that the monitoring aims to reduce such risks, with each GPS unit functioning for three to five years.

He added that certain veterinary drugs remain a major threat to vultures. “Although diclofenac has been banned in Nepal, the use of ketoprofen, nimuslide, and aceclofenac in veterinary medicine continues to pose risks to vultures,” he said, emphasizing that raising awareness in areas where vultures die can help prevent further losses.

According to Dagoura, all vultures fitted with GPS last September are still alive. One has reached Jim Corbett National Park in India, while others have been tracked traveling from Dudhwa National Park in India through the Laggabagga Conservation Area to Pithoragarh. Some vultures have also reached Baitadi and Dadeldhura.

A recent census conducted across Kanchanpur, including Shuklaphanta National Park, recorded 126 vulture nests in areas such as Laljhadi, Bansaha, and Persia. GPS installation work has been carried out in Hirapur and Tarapur, identified as suitable sites due to their strong vulture habitats. The initiative is being implemented jointly by the park office and the Nepal Bird Conservation Association.