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Nine species of vultures have been recorded in Nepal. Seven species have undergone considerable decline in recent years and have had their global threat status lifted. In Nepal, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, to which vultures are highly intolerant, but exposed to through the carcasses of treated livestock, caused massive decl...
Citations
... Gyps vultures in the Indian subcontinent have undergone catastrophic decline in number since the mid 1990 (Chaudhary et al., 2012). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) named diclofenac, which was widely used to treat livestock in South Asia in the 1990s and 2000s, has been solely responsible for such catastrophic decline (Paudel et al., 2016 andSafford et al., 2019). Other accessory causes that accelerated this declination are habitat destruction, indirect poisoning, electrocution and electric collisions, food shortage and superstitious beliefs of rural people Chaudhary et al., 2019). ...
... Moreover, recent studies suggest that the declination rate of vulture population have slowed and probably reversed (Paudel et al., 2016, Safford et al., 2019and Galligan et al., 2019. Participatory conservation initiatives, in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures along public awareness and provision of diclofenac free food through establishment of Vulture Safe Feeding Sites (VSFS), Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) and federal concern to declare Nepal as diclofenac free country are critical steps adopted for ceasing the catastrophic decline of vulture population in Nepal (Paudel et al., 2016 andBhusal, 2018). ...
... Moreover, recent studies suggest that the declination rate of vulture population have slowed and probably reversed (Paudel et al., 2016, Safford et al., 2019and Galligan et al., 2019. Participatory conservation initiatives, in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures along public awareness and provision of diclofenac free food through establishment of Vulture Safe Feeding Sites (VSFS), Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) and federal concern to declare Nepal as diclofenac free country are critical steps adopted for ceasing the catastrophic decline of vulture population in Nepal (Paudel et al., 2016 andBhusal, 2018). However, population of all vulture species in Nepal is still small for their sustainable recovery. ...
This study explores vultures of Pyuthan district, a western mid-hill of Nepal, assessed between April 2017 to September 2019 during opportunistic survey. We recorded seven species of vultures during this study period. Himalayan Griffon was most frequently observed species followed by Red-headed vulture while Cinereous vulture and Slender-billed vulture were recorded least during survey. A single case of Electrocution found could be one of the prevailing threats for vultures in district.
... In South Asia Gyps vultures began to decline in the mid-1990s at rates of up to 50% per year. Unintentional poisoning by veterinary use on cattle of the toxic NSAID diclofenac is the sole reason behind such rapid declination of vulture in South Asia (Prakash et al., 2007, Paudel et al., 2016and Safford et al., 2019. Besides the ecological importance vultures also have high economic and socio cultural values. ...
... Additionally, they also have an important role in some cultures that believe in sky burials which require vultures for consumption of human corpses as in Manang and Mustang districts of Nepal. Nepal supports all nine species of vultures recorded from South Asia (Paudel et al., 2016). ...
... Except that there are also other hazards like deliberately poisoning, electrocution and collisions with power lines, habitat loss (Paudel et al., 2016). ...
... S. calvus was found to built nest at the top of a large tree having an average height of 27 m from the ground level. One active nest of S. calvus was recorded in Adina cordifolia tree at Tansen Municipality-12, Dharampani and another in Pinus tree at Baugha Pokharathok-6, Luhung (Bhusal & Paudel, 2016). In the present study, vulture nested in one of the B.ceiba tree with 20 B.ceiba trees in surrounding. ...
... The large, flat nest was constructed from sticks and lined towards the centre with leaves and dry grass (Bhusal & Paudel, 2016). Sinha et al., 2017 found nest of S. calvus was constructed from sticks facing the center with leaves and dry grass. ...
... This was similar to the present study in which, the change of shift occurred twice a day i.e. in the morning and in the afternoon. S. calvus laid only one egg during one breeding season and both male and female took part in incubation and provide parental care (Bhusal & Paudel, 2016). Until the chick reached the fledgling stage, at least one of the parent's vultures was regularly found to care the chick sitting on tree (Subedi, 2009). ...
Vultures are the natural cleaners of environment as they consume the carcasses of dead animals. The project aims to determine population status of vulture and nesting behavior of Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus).
Gyps himalayensis, Gyps fulvus, Neophron percnopterus, Gyps bengalensis, Gyps tenuirostris and Sarcogyps calvus were the six species of vultures sighted at Dhorfirdi in Millennium Trekking Route. G. himalayensis was found to be highest in number (27) in summer whereas G. fulvus was found to be highest in number (18) in winter. Study was conducted on nesting behavior of S. calvus. Both adults took turns in incubating, with one relieving the other at the nest. The change of shift occured twice a day i.e. in the morning and in the afternoon. The activities during incubation of vulture were head movement, resting, preening, change of shift, turning of egg and others. However, the major behaviors observed during incubation were head movement, resting and preening.
... In South Asia Gyps vultures began to decline in the mid-1990s at rates of up to 50% per year. Unintentional poisoning by veterinary use on cattle of the toxic NSAID diclofenac is the sole reason behind such rapid declination of vulture in South Asia (Prakash et al., 2007, Paudel et al., 2016and Safford et al., 2019. Besides the ecological importance vultures also have high economic and socio cultural values. ...
... Additionally, they also have an important role in some cultures that believe in sky burials which require vultures for consumption of human corpses as in Manang and Mustang districts of Nepal. Nepal supports all nine species of vultures recorded from South Asia (Paudel et al., 2016). ...
Salyan district is home of two Globally Threatened; Red-headed and Egyptian Vulture and two Near Threatened; Himalayan Griffon and Bearded Vulture. This study was aimed to generate baseline information about status and distribution of these different vulture species in Slayan district, Nepal. Three road surveys were conducted following the fixed route and 141 identifiable individuals of four different vulture species were recorded; eight individuals of Red-headed Vulture, 27 Egyptian Vulture, 18 Bearded Vulture and 88 Himalayan Griffon were observed during the study period. Except Kalimati rural municipality vultures were found to be distributed in all other local municipalities of Salyan district. The baseline information generated in this study is important for future research monitoring and preparation of site level conservation plans.
... Research and monitoring of vulture species in lowland areas of Nepal has revealed a decline of 91% for white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis and 96% for slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris between 1995 and 2011 (Chaudhary et al. 2012). Due to similar declines in South Asian region in 1990s, four out of nine species of vultures found in Nepal, white-rumped vulture, long-billed vulture Gyps indicus, slender-billed vulture and red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus have been listed under the highest threat category of IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered (Paudel et al. 2016). The cause behind such steep decline has been attributed to the veterinary drug diclofenac which is widely used to treat livestock in Asia. ...
Nepal initiated a pioneer idea in the world of
working with local communities to establish a Vulture Safe
Zone (VSZ) in 2009 in Gaidatal Village Development
Committee (VDC), Rupandehi district. A VSZ is an area
surrounding one or more wild vulture nesting colonies,
large enough to encompass the mean foraging range
(>30,000 km2) completely free from diclofenac use. This
VSZ concept originally emerged from some brilliant
conservation efforts to create diclofenac-free areas using
a district by district, province by province approach across
the country.
... Secondary poisoning (poison bait incidentally killing nontargeted species) does occur in Nepal and can kill large numbers of vultures per event, thereby causing local declines in vulture populations. However, the incidence of poison-baiting is likely to be far less than the use of diclofenac to treat domestic livestock prior to the ban (Paudel et al. 2016). For example, at least ve poisoning events in which three Bearded Vultures perished each time would have had to occur in a single year (September 2004-June 2005 to cause the observed decline along the primary transect. ...
The Bearded Vulture (or Lammergeier) Gypaetus barbatus has been uplisted to Near Threatened because of declines throughout most of its range. In Upper Mustang, Nepal, the species underwent a substantial decline between 2002 and 2008. Diclofenac poisoning, through the consumption of contaminated livestock carcasses, is a serious threat to a number of scavenging raptors in South Asia. It is not known whether Bearded Vultures are intolerant to diclofenac; however, the timing and magnitude of the decline in Upper Mustang parallel those seen in the population of Himalayan Griffons Gyps himalayensis and the populations of six other South Asian vulture species, most of which are known to be intolerant to diclofenac. In this study, we continued the Upper Mustang survey for Bearded Vultures and use generalized linear models to examine the population trend between 2002 and 2014. We confirm a substantial decline after 2004 and show that this trend continued,
albeit at a slower rate, up to 2014. However, we also show that subpopulations in remote valleys did not decline. We suggest that these trends are a strong indication that Bearded Vultures are intolerant of diclofenac and that the biology of the species and additional targeted threats are limiting its recovery in Upper Mustang.
Humans are always benefited by the close relationship with scavengers since the origin of Homo species. Vultures play significant role in health of livestock and humans, in the environment and also are connected in culture and tradition of many communities. In Hindu Mythology vultures are believed to be carrier of Saturn. Also in Holy book Ramayana, vultures rescued goddess Sita from Ravana. However, some communities believe that they bring ill luck and death. This study focuses on peoples' perception and their livestock practices with the help of questionnaire survey. The livestock practices in the area has declined mostly due to modernization in agriculture, however people are well aware about population decline of vultures. The livestock holdings in the region has come down in terms of number of livestock holdings. Food scarcity, habitat loss, electrocution are some of the limiting factors for population recover of vultures in the area. For any ecosystem to function steadily the relationship between the variable and local people is very important. People vulture relation is of paramount importance for the long-term survival of vultures.
