With regards to International Vulture Awareness Say, today, the first Saturday in September, I have come up with one of my most awaited topics which had remained in draft for a long time- Vulture Restaurant. I came to light of this topic through the "Herne Katha" series which talked about Vultures at the vulture restaurant situated at Ghachowk. To be honest, at first when I heard about "Vulture Restaurant" I thought it was a restaurant that serves the meat of vultures.
Populations of many species are under pressure and some species are facing extinction. Vultures, too, are one of an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats. People associate vultures with decay and death. People think once they land on the top of the house, it is a bad omen for them. There were myths that vultures prey on healthy livestock but they are still regularly persecuted by farmers and ranchers who believe the birds to be a threat to their animal. Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory used to treat disease in cattle became a major cause for the brink of extinction to the scavengers feeding on their carcases. These reasons lead to four of the subcontinent's nine vulture species- the white-rumped, slender-billed, red-headed and long-billed vulture becoming critically endangered in Nepal and across the Indian subcontinent. Though the Nepalese government reacted by banning diclofenac in 2006, the conservationists said that more must be done to help the avian scavengers recover.
As a result, the concept of a vulture restaurant came into existence. Entrepreneur Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary established the country's first vulture restaurant in Pithauli- a small village on the outskirts of Chitwan National Park with the help of NGO Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN). The main aim behind the reserve was to ensure that vultures would get a chance to eat chemical-free cattle carcasses. But soon there were rumors about cows being slaughtered in a vulture restaurant which is considered illegal in Nepal as cow is the national animal of Nepal. Initially, locals were wary of the concept of a vulture restaurant. But later, they realized that the restaurants were a sustainable way of disposing of ageing animals.
At vulture restaurants, skinning the carcass is done before feeding to the only guest- vultures. The hide is sold to a local craftsman to make leather products. Any bones left once the vultures have had their fill go into poultry feed. Vulture restaurant is not only an attraction for vultures but also for tourists who pay a fee to visit it. It is a great example of how people cannot only exist but develop and benefit while conserving and protecting the environment they inhabit.
Vulture has a huge and crucial role in the ecosystem. Vulture is a natural scavenger that only eats dead animals and it cleans up the environment. Due to this, the vulture is as known as nature’s cleanup crew. Even more, it also limits the spread of bacteria and diseases in the locality. Vultures have an extremely corrosive stomach acid that allows them to consume rotting animal corpses. These scavenged leftovers are often infected with anthrax, botulinum toxins and rabies that would otherwise kill other animals. Therefore, when vultures consume carcasses, they keep diseases in check. The work of vultures is what is often referred to as ecosystem services. With the importance of vultures in an ecosystem, I would end this essay with a quote by Plutarch: “Vultures are the most righteous of birds: they do not attack even the smallest living creature.”
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