Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) organised various public awareness raising events on September 5, 2009 to celebrate the First International Vulture Awareness Day. The week-long programmes primarily focused on generating awareness amongst the local communities and influencing stakeholders and agencies in positioning the vulture range districts as the diclofenac-free zone. People's active participation has led to the success of the event which is amply illustrated by wider media coverage.
BCN supported different organisations to
organise these awareness raising programmes such as vulture photography
exhibition and art competition at Pokhara; school awareness rally and
interaction programme at Rupandehi district; vulture conservation rally and
discussion programme for the declaration of Diclofenac free zone in Dang
district; felicitation, rallies and interaction programmes in Bardiya, Kailali
and Palpa districts; and street puppetry shows in Nawalparasi and Chitwan
districts.
In Kathmandu, talk programmes were organised
targetted at the higher secondary schools, namely, Glacier College, St.
Lawarence College and Alok Bidhya Ashram. Altogether, 258 students participated
in the talk programme. Similarly, an interaction programme was organized at the
Central Department of Zoology of Tribhuwan University on 4 September 2009 aimed
at providing updated information to the university students. Anand Chaudhary
presented on the introduction and types of vultures found in Nepal and also
highlighted on various vulture conservation activities at Nepal. Similarly, Dr.
Surya Paudel shed light on the consequences of vulture decline and its
alternatives.