Why were cute owls hunted and traded in Nepal?

A conservation biologist has compiled a group of owl stories from his native Nepal to lift awareness of owls there and to proceed an annual owl festival.

Away 2020In the Himalayan state of Nepal, 23 species of owl have been recorded, five of that are classified as endangered.

Raju AcharyaFounder and Executive Director of Friends of Nature, an environmental NGO based in Kathmandu, explains that he was in a distant area of ​​Nepal when he first heard folk tales about owls – he went there to gather a series of stories in Enchanted Feathers: Owl Stories from Nepal.

“My current research is looking at cultural, religious and dream interpretations of owls and I am also writing a book called ‘Night Whispered’ to promote positive perceptions and reduce negativity in society in the long term,” he says. “Changing negative perceptions quickly is difficult, but success could pave the way for other common species,” he says.

Raju was a key contributor to the Action plan to guard owls in 2020, which covers the threats to owls from hunting, illegal trade and habitat loss. He explains this, adding that the bird population increases significantly in areas with a bigger variety of old trees.

“Currently, our goals include changing local perceptions, building the capacity of enforcement agencies and improving owl habitat,” he says, adding that the team also goals to lift awareness amongst schoolchildren and the general public by organising 100 conservation camps.

The biggest challenge for his work is that international and national organizations often give attention to globally threatened species and never on Nepali owls, explains Acharya.

“Our main goal is owl conservation,” he says. “I initially took on the responsibility when I couldn’t find any organizations in Nepal that were involved in owl research and conservation.”

Eleven years ago, Raju also launched the Nepal Owl Festival, which goals to eliminate owl hunting and trade in Nepal and promote the region’s ecotourism potential by welcoming large numbers of tourists and showcasing local wildlife and traditional culture.

In May 2024, the British charity Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) awarded a Whitley Prize 2024 to Acharya and his team, with the aim of restoring 1,200 hectares of owl habitat by protecting 500 mature trees and installing 100 artificial nests in semi-urban areas.

Why are people in Nepal so anti-owl?

Acharya grew up within the lap of the Himalayas and in the town of Pokhara in Nepal.

“Living close to the forest as a teacher already sparked my passion for nature,” he says. “This passion was further strengthened by my academic career in forestry and my experience at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, where I gained practical experience in participatory biodiversity conservation.”

Acharya explains that 16 years ago, while roaming through a distant area with their colleague Yadav Ghimirey, they observed that folks occasionally ate owl meat and had a really negative opinion of owls.

“This was ironic considering how positively owls are perceived in many other parts of the world,” he says. “As we continued to study this species, we discovered that hunting and trading were common practices. This realization was the turning point that led me to work in my current field.”

Acharya explains that scientists from developing countries bring practical knowledge based on their education.

“Many of us have experienced challenges from a young age, such as hours-long commutes to school, encounters with wildlife and living near diverse ecosystems,” he says. “These experiences shape our unique perspectives and deepen our understanding of local environments and communities, making our contributions to global challenges both meaningful and impactful.”

Nepal’s pangolins

Another Nepalese conservationist is Tulshi Laxmi Suwal, founding father of the Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF) in Kathmandu, Nepal.

She studies the results of forest fires on pangolins – and inspires a complete recent generation of researchers to understand these animals.

Nepal is home to 2 of the eight species of pangolins – the Chinese pangolin and the Indian pangolin. They are often known as the “friends of the farmer” because they supply vital services to the ecosystem. For example, a single pangolin eats 70 million ants and termites yearly.

Suwal explains that a 2016 study found that pangolin habitat in Nepal is increasingly threatened by forest fires, with over 3,000 forest fires occurring every year.

Their project goals to create ten sustainable Community Conservation Groups to watch pangolin populations and their habitats, provide them with firefighting skills, and plant 20,000 local deciduous trees.

“This project will help other species address gender inequality, climate change and more,” she says. “Nature-based solutions will help provide alternative livelihoods to local communities, for example in the form of leaf plate production.”