How 'cow care' is boosting vulture recovery and livelihoods in Nepal

A “cow care communities” partnership is helping to support local dairy farmers secure a better future for vultures in Nepal. Thanks to funding from the Darwin Initiative, the RSPB is working with Renewable World and Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) to create a Vulture Safe Zone.  

The need for Vulture Safe Zones is almost unimaginable in a country where for centuries, people, cattle and vultures coexisted in harmony. Dairy plays a vital role in the local diet and economy. As cows are not killed or eaten for religious reasons, vultures act as a natural ‘clean-up’ crew when animals die, rapidly consuming the carcasses and, in doing so, preventing the spread of disease among people. 

But in the 1990s, vulture populations collapsed across South Asia. White-rumped Vultures – once thought to be the most common large bird of prey in the world – dropped by a devasting 99.9%. Slender-billed, Indian and Red-headed Vultures were also declining at similar rates. At that time, extinction was a very real prospect for these species.  

The RSPB, together with many other conservation organisations and scientists came together urgently to find out what was happening, and in 2003, there was a breakthrough. Work led by the Peregrine Fund, with the Ornithological Society of Pakistan, showed that the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, used to treat cattle, was causing kidney failure and death in vultures.  

In 2006, Nepal, India and Pakistan all banned the sale of veterinary diclofenac, but with vulture numbers now so low, this wasn’t going to be a quick fix.  

Conservationists and governments across South Asia banded together under SAVE, Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction. A key part of the work has been an ongoing programme of education and advocacy to influence governments and others. Ensuring that people understand the role of vultures and the need to use safe drugs for cattle is vital for the long-term future of these special scavengers.  

In Nepal, there has also been a vulture breeding programme and in 2017, the country become the first to release captive-reared and captive-bred vultures back into the wild. 

Building on years of community-based conservation, research and advocacy led by BCN and supported by the RSPB, Nepal declared the world’s first Vulture Safe Zone in 2021 

Despite these successes, Asian vultures remain at risk, with White-rumped, Slender-billed, Indian and Red-headed Vultures all categorised as Critically Endangered. 

Rural poverty, a precarious agricultural economy, and an increase in other animal scavengers are affecting efforts to help vultures recover. With fewer vultures to consume livestock carcasses, the populations of feral dogs and wild boars have grown. This has resulted in the growing use of poisons which are also killing vultures.  

This is where our work with BCN and Renewable World comes in. Working together, our ambition is both to help vultures and improve local livelihoods. 

A central element is through cow ‘retirement’ communities. These are shelters where unproductive or abandoned cattle are cared for, preventing them from becoming feral and then providing safe carcasses after they die for vultures to feed on.

The project is working to improve the management and sustainability of five existing cow shelters around Nepal’s Shuklaphanta National Park, while developing new income streams through the production of compost and biogas from the cows.

Mary Davies, RSPB Senior Species Recovery Officer, explains:

“This project is a real win–win for people and nature – and for the cows that are such a vital part of the culture and rural economy of Nepal. By supporting farmers and making cow shelters sustainable, and even profit-making, we can help reduce poverty while providing vultures with the safe environments they urgently need.” 

Alongside the cow ‘retirement’ communities, we’re also working with local people on a range of other initiatives to support Nepali farmers and strengthen the dairy economy, and on measures that support vultures.  

These include:  

• Providing solar-powered technologies such as milk chillers to strengthen the dairy sector. 
• Establishing secure shelter facilities to reduce predation on cattle. 
• Running cattle health camps with vets to promote the use of vulture-safe medications and supporting stray dog neuter campaigns. 
• Carrying out pharmacy surveys, awareness campaigns, and advocacy to enforce bans on vulture-toxic drugs. 

By the end of the project, we hope to secure Nepal’s second Vulture Safe Zone. 

Ishana Thapa, CEO of Bird Conservation Nepal explains: “We bring decades of experience in vulture conservation in Nepal to the project. This includes monitoring the vulture population, breeding productivity, tracking vulture movements and mortality and conducting pharmacy surveys to assess the availability of vulture-toxic NSAIDs. These activities will provide the evidence needed to guide conservation action and assess progress towards establishing Nepal’s second Vulture Safe Zone.”  

Mary Davies, RSPB Senior Species Recovery Officer, continues: “We hope this model will inspire more Vulture Safe Zones across the region and want to say a huge thank you to our supporters and to the Darwin Initiative for helping make it possible.” 

Thakur Thapa, Country Director of Renewable World, Nepal added: “I’m thrilled about this new partnership and its potential to increase dairy farmers’ incomes while ensuring vulture conservation. Feral cows around Shuklaphanta National Park in Nepal will be managed sustainably, benefiting both communities and vultures. The project will reach over 600 farmers, enhancing the livelihoods of more than 5,000 people, while engaging local and national institutions in an integrated effort to reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity.” 

Ever since the RSPB began in 1889, we've helped species on the brink and it’s at the heart of what we do. With four Asian vulture species Critically Endangered, we’re determined to help these birds thrive once more.  

You can read more about our work here: Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction | Priority Species Spotlight