July 3, 2009
Feather fiends
Nepal is emerging as a hub for the trafficking of endangered birds with over 864 species,Nepal has the world’srichest diversity of birdlife on the planet. Traffickers,who were already using Kathmandu airport’s lax andcorrupt customs for smuggling out contraband, are now turningto birds.Charismatic mammals like
rhinos, tigers and leopards grab all the headlines, but bird smuggling through Nepal is agrowing problem, says Diwakar Chapagain, wildlife trade expertat the Worldwide Fund for Nature(WWF). “Owls and parakeets are just not exciting enough,” he says.
Ram Bahadur Gurung, a retired policeman was arrested with a eurasian eagle owl (huchilin Nepali) from Shankhamul in May. He claimed that he found the bird on a tree near Chobar, but it was actually trapped and rearedat home for sale in the international market.
The Kaski District Forest Office raided and rescued five owls from three villages of the district in June with the help of the the green group, Roots and Shoot Nepal. Villagers said they didn’t know capturing the birds was illegal, and said they were planning to rear them as pets.But Manoj Gautam of Rootsand Shoots, who went undercover as a trader, suspects that’s not the real story. “We offered to buy the owls and pay more than the othertraders,and they quotedRs 400,000,” says Gautam.Among all the birds trapped in the wild for sale, owls seem to be gaining popularity. Of the 38 owls which had been trapped in Kaski’s villages, 31 had been sold already.
The supply of owls is being driven by a surging international demand for the nocturnal bird, which are prized in Europe and sultans’ palaces in the Gulf as pets. There is also a growing demand in India, where owls are used in tantrik rituals to exercise evil spirits and the bones of bones owls are believed to have medicinal Properties.There are reports of of night vision experiments conducted on owls.
The depletion of owl populations can have a devastating impact on the localecology because owls control the populations of pests like mice and rats.Villagers can sell an adult huchil to local middlemen for upto Rs 400,000. The bird can can fetch up to 10 times more by the time it is sold to a buyer in the Middle East. Chicks, which are easy to capture, cost anywhere between Rs 5,000-Rs 20,000.
“Owls are easy to catch, and they fetch such a high price, thatis the reason for the supply,” says Raju Acharya of Friends of Nature who has just co-authored a report on the owl trade. Owls are beings everely depleted in 20 districts, with Kanchanpur, Mustang and Kaski the worst affected.The Department of NationalParks and Wildlife Conservation seems to be in denial. Spokesperson Laxmi Manandhartold us: “I don’t think smuggling of birds is possible. Even those who want to keep
birds are required to obtain permission from the government.”
There is evidence that Nepalis also becoming a trans-shipmen point for wildlife smuggling in the region. A cargo of 254 exotic birds coming from Pakistan was found atthe Kathmandu airportin April 2007. The consignment contained cockatiels, African grey parrots, macaws worth $1 million in the international market.
Customs officials assured conservationists that the bird would be sent back to where they came from, but were reportedly all destroyed that night. Now,activists suspect officials sent them on to their destination in East Asia after receiving hefty payoffs.Gautam and otherconservations say the airport is just the tip of the iceberg, the realsmuggling routes are on the road links across the northern and southern borders.
Source: Nepali times
June 30, 2009
Two traders arrested along with tiger skin
Two persons were held with a tiger skin from Sauraha Chowk, Chitwan on June 29, 2009. Acting on the information provided by field operatives of Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN), Nepal Police arrested Sonam Tamang, 45, resident of Sertung 3, Dhading and Ramesh Gurung, 35, resident of Chainpur 9, Chitwan from Gadimai Lodge, Sauraha chowk, Chitwan while trying to sell the tiger skin. Both arrested have been taken to Tandi Police Office for further investigation.
Seized tiger skin
Source: WCN
June 22, 2009
Rhino poaching hits tourism Tourism entrepreneurs here have been unable to make tourists lengthen the stay of tourists in this popular destination, thanks to a dwindling number of rhinos, a major attraction, and lack of fresh programmes. The entrepreneurs have been relying too heavily on Tharu culture, Chitwan National Park safari, elephant safari,sun-setting sights and village tour, which comprise a three-day package. On top of all this, rhinos have become a rare sight here due to rampant poaching of the endangered species. All this does not bode well for Sauraha, which is rich in biodiversity. Tour operators are already talking about the loss rhino poaching could cause. Tourism expert Dr. Rudra Upadhyaya says rhino conservation is a must for the survival of Sauraha's tourism industry. Tharu culture and lifestyle, another attraction, is also under threat. Hari Bhakta Ghimire, president of the Regional Hotel Association, says concrete houses are replacing Tharus' traditional houses that are made of Khariya and Khar (dried grass). “These days, it is hard to get a full glimpse of the Tharu culture at one place,” Ghimire laments. Elephant safari is quite popular among Nepalis, but all is not well with this tourist attraction. Source: The Katmandu Post
June 22, 2009
Poacher nabbed
A poacher was held,along with two home- made pistols,in Mahadevpuri of Banke district on Sunday. Lal Bahadur oli,a resident of Premnagar Sikta in Khaskusma was arrested by a patrol team of Shumshergunj Range post, said assistant forest officer Amar Bahadur Bhulan."Two home- made pistol,one kg of Chital meat,equipment to trap wild animals and other camping materials were seized from Oli,"said Balan, adding that the poachers had been hunting the jungle for the past five days.
Bhulan said Oli was one of the members of a group that was involved in the poaching of wild animals. Bhulan added Oli was a daily wage worker at the Sikta Irrigation project.Oli has been sent to the District Forest Office for further investigation, added Balan.
Source: The Himalayan Times
June 22, 2009
Park faces fund crunch for orphaned animals
A leopard cub born a month ago in Chitwan National Park has been living under the care of park officials. A wild bear cub has also been living in their care for six months now. Park officials complain of lack of funding to take care of these motherless cubs."We receive only Rs 17,000 to take care of wild animals in need, but the amount is not enough at all," says Dr Narendraman Babu Pradhan, Chief Warden of Chitwan National Park.Pradhan has been forced to use his own personal
savings after repeatedly failing to source funds to care for the orphaned animals.
Along with the two cubs, the park also has a grown tiger and a year-old leopard. The 80 kgs of meat the leopard eats per month is funded by the National Trust for Nature Conservation. The tiger, named Narayani, was previously fed using funds donated by an NGO, but this funding ceased once the NGO heard Narayani was about to be shipped to the capital´s Central Zoo.
The National Park is never short of wild animal orphans. It is not only responsible for animals orphaned at the park, but also those orphaned in other areas which are sent there for care. The park usually sends the orphans as gifts to foreign countries, but by observing the state of the wild animals under Chitwan National Park´s care, it is clear they are not receiving the care that they deserve.
Source: Republica
