According to Gopal Bahadur Ghimire, information officer of the reserve, 12 Dungars were found dead in December 24 at Piparaiya and six were discovered on December 25 at Bakroula of the reserve. The carcases of the vultures were first discovered by locals, who informed the wildlife reserve's authorities.Meanwhile, another severely ill Dungar has been undergoing treatment at Piparaiya health post. Ghimire, who is also a conservation assistant at the park, said that the scavengers could have been poisoned through food.
"We have found pieces of meat near the place where the dead Dungars were found. We suspect the meat was poisoned with the intent to kill the scavengers. Hence the vultures could have died due to poisoning," said Ghimire.
According to him, the dead vultures have been sent for examination. "We will know the cause of the deaths only after the examination," he added.
Hiru Lal Dangaura, assistant field officer of the reserve informed that the population of vultures in Kanchanpur has risen in the last few years. The vultures have also been building their nests in nearby places outside the wildlife reserve.
As per the latest statistics, 43 nests of vultures were discovered in Kanchanpur. Based on the finding, the population of Dungar has been estimated at over 86, according to Dangaura.
"The death of such a large number of vultures is a big set back to our conservation efforts. The incident poses additional challenges before us," he added.
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