Last time we heard from group leader Manoj Gautam about Nepal-Roots & Shoots group's "vulture restaurant" project, he said, "We are determined to continue with this project until the use of Diclofenac is completely stopped and the safety of vultures is ensured."

You may recall that Diclofenac is a painkiller that many Nepalese farmers give to their work animals to allow them to continue working even as they get older. The problem with the drug is that it causes kidney failure in vultures when they eat animals that have been treated with the drug.

Manoj and his team have been working hard to gather safe food supplies for the endangered birds, whose numbers have decreased by 95 percent in recent decades.

They work with local youth in Nawalparasi—a town not far from Kathmandu—to gather animal carcasses (usually cows and buffaloes) that are free of Diclofenac. They use the carcasses to create "vulture restaurants," where the birds can feed safely. They also work to raise awareness of the problem in local communities.

"The local people are interested and they cooperate with us," Manoj said. "They are always ready and eager to provide information about vultures they see. The village leaders come to our meetings too."

The work that R&S-Nepal is doing is not easy. Transporting the carcasses takes a lot of time, energy and money. They also face the challenge of Diclofenac being smuggled across the border from India.

Their latest news is that they've moved! After encountering land permit issues, the group moved their project to a new location called Basa-Basahi, which Manoj said is a welcoming spot for vultures. Group members have begun building fences and prepping the site to be planted with papaya trees.

Unfortunately, Manoj had some sad news to report also. A few weeks ago, he heard from a local youth—with whom R&S-Nepal had spoken about the vulture problem—that some vultures were eating a Diclofenac-infected carcass. Manoj and his team immediately set out to find the birds.

"We saw three vultures that were agonizing and flapping their wings on the ground and could not fly," Manoj said.
One bird flew away, flapping its wings weakly. They tried to hydrate two of the birds by helping them drink water but, sadly, both birds died.

Later, Manoj's suspicions were confirmed when he dissected the birds and found uric acid in the liver and kidneys—a sign that they had ingested Diclofenac.

"With heavy hearts, seven of us buried the vultures in two pits dug by [Roots & Shoots] members in a nearby river bank," Manoj said. "We made a joint commitment that we will not let such destruction happen again."