4. Introduction
• Nepal has a diverse landscape, biodiversity richness and its
distribution. About 878 species of birds are recorded in Nepal.
Among them, Vultures, the only vertebrate obligate scavengers,
are facing a catastrophic decline worldwide .
• Vultures provide an important ecosystem service by
maintaining an environment free from animal carcasses. In
Hindu mythology, a vulture is said to be the carrier of God Sani
(Saturn).
• Out of 9 species of vultures recorded from South Asia, 8
species of vultures are found in Nepal. 6 species are resident,
one species is a winter migrant another is passage migrant and
the last is vagrant.
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5. Introduction cont…..
• They inhibit in areas near human habitation and open areas
(Grimmett et al., 2000; Prakash et al., 2003).
• Four species of vultures, namely WRV, IV, SBV and RHV, are
in grave danger of extinction across the Indian
subcontinent. Between 1995 and 2011, monitoring of
vulture populations in lowland Nepal revealed declines of
91% and 96% for WRV and SBV, respectively (Chaudhary et
al., 2012).
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7. 10/08/18 7
Species Resident
/Migratory
Conservation
status Global
Conservation
status Nepal
Estimated
pop. In Nepal
Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) Resident breeder NT V 500˂
Cinereous vulture (Aegypinus monachus) Winter migrant NT E -
Egyptain vulture (Neophron percnopterus) Resident breeder End. V 1000˂
Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) Passage migrant Least concern Least concern -
Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis ) Resident breeder NT V 10000˂
Indian vulture (Gyps indicus ) Vagrant CE Not specified -
Redheaded V.(Sarcogyps calvus ) Resident breeder CE CE 500˂
Slender V. ( Gyps tenuirostris ) Resident breeder CE CE 50˂
White-rumped V.(Gyps bengalensis ) Resident breeder CE CE 2000˂
source: Vulture action plan (2015-2019)
9. Causes …
Diclofenac is given to cattle
Vulture Ingest Diclofenac from cattle carcass
Vulture suffer renal failure, loss of flight and ultimately
death
( A 30 ml vial Diclofenac is enough to kill around 500 vulture)
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11. Causes …
Other causes
Infectious diseases, environmental contamination, deliberate and
accidental poisoning along with exploitation and persecution
(Rahmani 2004) may also contribute to population declines.
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12. Recovery Programs
In Nepal there are a range of current actions and programs in
process for the conservation of vultures :-
Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation
(DNPWC) prepared Vulture Conservation Action Plan for Nepal
(2015-2019)
Vulture conservation breeding center is another program
running in Nepal. A Vulture conservation breeding center has
been constructed at Kasara, Chitwan National Park through the
joint efforts of the Nepal Government and INGOs.
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13. Recovery cont….
Another conservation program in Nepal is establishment of vulture
restaurants
Vulture restaurants have now been successfully introduced to
Nawalparasi, Rupandehi District, Laimatiya VDC and Bijouri VDC of
Dang, Kailali , Sunsari and Kaski districts (Government of Nepal
2009). Gilbert et al. (2007) (Cited by: Richard J. H, 2013)
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14. Recovery cont….
BCN initiated a pioneer idea of working with local
communities to establish a Vulture Safe Zone since 2009
(Paudel, 2013).
This concept comprises of an inner core with a 50 km radius
and an outer buffer zone, 50–100 km radius, which has
been tested free of Diclofenac and other veterinary drugs
toxic to vultures (SAVE 2011).
VSFS have now expanded and combined becoming Diclofenac
Free Zones (DFZ) in 46 districts covering an area of 101160
km2
( Vulture Conservation Action Plan 2015-2019)
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16. Recovery cont….
• In Nepal, 9 sites are recorded as vulture safe feeding sites.
They are in Kailali, Dang, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Kaski,
Sunsari.
• According to Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) five key
components of vulture restaurants comprise:
a. Awareness of the diclofenac threat and role of vultures in the
environment
b. Monitoring and removal of diclofenac and other toxic
veterinary drugs
c. Vulture colony monitoring
d. Supplementary feeding
e. Community empowerment and conservation activities
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17. Recovery cont….
• The following list of priorities has been adopted as updated
SAVE priorities for vulture conservation in 2014:
a. An immediate ban of diclofenac manufactured for human
medicine in vials or ampoules larger than 3ml.
b. Improve the availability of more effective meloxicam
formulations thereby facilitating take up by veterinary
practitioners.
c. Veterinary licenses to be withdrawn for two drug ketoprofen
and aceclofenac – based on the good existing evidence that
they are unsafe for vultures.
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18. Recovery cont….
d. Promotion of network and approach of ‘Vulture Safe Zones’
across South Asia with expansion to include trans-boundary
cooperative efforts.
• In addition, NPWC Act have provision for punishment to
offenders. Drug Act 1978, National Drug Policy 1995 are being
implemented as well.
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19. Successes
• People have developed positive attitude towards vulture and
its conservation after the establishment of Vulture
Restaurants (VR), we can conclude that VR is effective in the
field of vulture conservation by enhancing the public
consensus towards it.
• VR has become a effective tool for stabilizing the hastily
declining vulture population and the population of vultures
have increased significantly.
• Community empowerment and conservation activities have
increased. Many people are actively involved in such
activities.
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20. Challenges
• Risk of continued use of diclofenac despite its ban.
• Study on the effects of other NSAID besides diclofenac is
complicated. Aceclofenac metabolises into diclofenac in livestock,
but is not banned in Nepal.
• Much more studies and research needs to be carried out to
increase our knowledge base on vultures for effective
conservation
• Different threats to vultures inside the Vulture Restaurants
which includes theft of meat, high tension electric power lines,
porcupine borrow, hyena pugmarks, feral dogs and other non-
targeted species feeding on carcass are being observed and
mitigated.
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21. Conclusion
• Because of VR most of the people have developed positive
attitude towards vulture and its conservation.
• The negative perception of some people towards vulture
conservation should be minimized by improving managerial
aspects.
• Control of non targeted species such as feral dogs is a must for
the conservation of vultures.
• Detailed study of the several drugs other than diclofenac is
necessary.
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22. Recommendation
• Mitigating measures for controlling the non-targeted species
inside the VR should be constructed.
• Livestock holding capacity of rescue center should be
increased with proper shed management for maintaining the
carcass supply
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23. Recom. Cont…
• Public awareness programs to motivate young and educated
youths toward the conservation of the vulture.
• Vulture restaurant could be utilized as a tourist destination area
of the district so, more promotion and publication of these
restaurants is must
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