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The government has decided to shut down cinema halls and gym clubs till January 29.

A Cabinet meeting held on Sunday made the decision to this effect,  Minister for Communication and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said.

He said that the government decided to shut down cinema halls and gym halls to stem the surge of Covid-19.

Earlier, the government had also closed the educational institutions and banned the gatherings of more than 25 people in public places.

Climate change has affected just about every living creature on planet earth. Birds are not immune to it as well. Bird habitats are dwindling due to rising temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions, and drying of water sources and wetlands. As a result, the number of raptor species such as eagles and vultures are declining too.

Tulsi Subedi, who holds a doctorate in biodiversity conservation and has been researching migratory birds since 2012, says the sightings of birds of prey over the Kaski district area have been decreasing in recent times. He adds that, until 2012, around 14,000 carnivorous birds used to fly over the place in the migration season but their number has come down to around 6,000-8,000 of late. This number includes 33 different species of raptors.

Census of raptor species are conducted every year from the second week of September when they migrate in huge numbers, flying over Kande and Thula Kharka of Annapurna Rural Municipality in Kaski district. Migratory birds have been counted every year since 1983.

Steppe eagles (locally known as Gomayu Mahacheel) are the most common raptors flying over Nepal’s skies. Around 8,500 steppe eagles migrated via Kaski’s Kande and Thula Kharka in 2013 but their number declined to 4,300 in 2020, says Subedi. The bird census report of 2021 is yet to be finalized.

Also read: A zero-waste life: Less is more

According to Subedi, reduction in the number of prey species, habitat loss, temperature rise, and unfavorable migratory environment could be the reasons for the decline in the arrival of birds, which mostly come from Magnolia and China to escape extreme cold there. The steppe eagles prey on small rabbits, rodents, and small birds. Bird species migrating from Mongolia arrive in Pokhara before going to India and Pakistan.

Himalayan griffons (Himali Gidda) are the second most common raptors arriving in Nepal, and come from central China. The species sometimes stays in Nepal or goes to India’s Madhya Pradesh, returning to China in the month of May. While steppe eagles go to Mongolia from here, while Himalayan griffons come from Mongolia. Likewise, the slender-billed vultures (Khairo Gidda) come to Nepal from Europe and fly south from here.

Cinereous vultures (Raj Gidda), slender-billed vultures, and Indian vultures (Lamo Thunde Gidda) are among the other birds that arrive in Nepal to avoid the extremely cold winter. But these birds don’t incubate their eggs here. According to ornithologist Krishna Bhusal, the Indian vultures have been frequent visitors to Nepal.

“The slender-billed vultures, which come to Nepal for shelter as they migrate to escape extreme cold, have been prolonging their stay here,” says Bhusal. The birds of prey mostly enter Nepal from over the Kanchanjunga and Makalu Barun Himalayan ranges. Some birds coming from the east stop at Thula Kharka to take thermal air.

It is not just the number of visiting raptor species that is declining. The number of water birds coming here to escape extreme cold are down too, says Pokhara Bird Society Chairman Manshanta Ghimire. 

The more we have, the more we want. But while upgrading our lives by buying better products, we are also filling our homes with things we will never use. Our hoarding habit is damaging the environment not only because we are consuming more of earth’s finite resources, but also because we are increasing our waste production.

We have inundated the Sisdol landfill site in Kakani, Nuwakot, by throwing away pretty much everything from old books and clothes to broken utensils and electronic gadgets. According to the Solid Waste Management Association of Nepal, of the 1,200 tons of garbage collected daily from Kathmandu and its surrounding areas, 65 percent is organic waste, and 15-20 percent is recyclable, meaning even that which is compostable and/or salvageable ends up in the landfill where it will take years to decompose.

The concept of zero waste, which is now almost a global movement, can help ease the landfill load and save the environment. The idea is to send nothing to the landfill by reducing consumption, composting, reusing what we have, and recycling what we can’t reuse. People around the world have reduced the amount of trash they generate in a year to fit in a single mason jar. How they do it is up for everyone to see on YouTube and other social media platforms.

In Nepal too, some are now trying to do the same. A 65-year-old lady in Pokhara, Shashi Tulachan, hasn’t produced more than a bucket of trash a year for the past eight years. “It’s possible if you are conscious about what you use and throw and how,” says Anjana Malla of Deego Nepal, a sustainable business providing eco-friendly alternatives. “The problem is many of us are into a zero-waste lifestyle because it’s become a trend and we are doing it all wrong.”

When people want to lead a more sustainable life, the first thing they do is throw away anything made of plastic. Plastic, we all know, “harms the environment”. But throwing away a perfectly good plastic container that could have lasted several years and buying a sustainable alternative in its place is counterproductive when the goal is to reduce consumption. Malla says the only way to drastically reduce waste is by cutting on what we bring into our homes.

Also read: What if… we could drastically reduce our waste?

It takes a little effort but then it’s quite easy to cut down on your purchases once you start weighing your actions and their consequences. “Don’t buy things on a whim. First look at what you have at home and see if you can repurpose things to fit your needs,” she says. And when you eventually buy new things, opt for quality stuff that will last long as opposed to something cheap that you will have to toss out after a couple of uses.

Anweeta Pandit, founder of Eco Artes Pvt. Ltd., and a zero-waste enthusiast, says we must go back to our roots and live like our grandparents and their parents back in the days. By that, Pandit means we should work on conserving resources by reusing things and only replace them when they can’t be repaired. For instance, before fancy bottles and pots took over the market, we used biscuit tins, powdered milk cans and various other jars to store grains and other essentials. We didn’t go hunting for matching glass bottles and stackable containers like we do now.

Pandit laments how zero waste is more about aesthetics today, creating more waste as we throw out everything that doesn’t match the lifestyle. “We have to be aware that our trash is a burden on the earth. We might blame industries for producing a lot of things but they are only catering to consumer demand. If there is less demand, there will be less production and subsequently less waste,” she says.

The market is saturated with products to suit different needs and tastes. Whenever we give in to our tendency to buy a new cup or a notebook when we have two unused, good ones at home, we are creating more waste. Kritica Lacoul Shrestha, senior manager at Jamarko, a company established in 2001 for environmental conservation and to provide jobs to the underprivileged, especially women, says it is imperative to change our use-and-throw culture and make our daily habits more sustainable.

We tend to disregard the effects of small, individual actions when something as urgent as the environment is at stake, she says. Instead, we blame the government for its inefficiency in tackling the waste problem. But small things like taking your own shopping bag and saying no to polythene bags or saving water while showering can add up if you do them regularly.

Also read: Kathmandu: City of Garbage

“Government policies on recycling and conservation of resources are important. But pollution is such a pressing issue that we must all do our part in reducing consumption and building eco-friendly habits,” says Lacoul Shrestha. Jamarko has been working to minimize paper waste, the long-term impact of which, she adds, will be conservation of our natural resources and habitats. Manu Karki, proprietor of Eco Sathi Nepal, a company that sells eco-friendly products, says you can start by doing whatever you can, whether it is carrying a shopping bag, your own water bottle, or taking lunch from home instead of ordering takeaway at work. The key, she says, is not to have eco-anxiety. “I have seen people try to overhaul their lives overnight and switch to greener alternatives by throwing away much of what they have. That path to a sustainable life isn’t sustainable and leads to stress and negative emotions,” she says.

A common mistake is trying to lead a completely eco-friendly life where they aren’t using anything made of plastic or entirely avoiding disposable items. There is no room for error. “There will be times when you need a single-use item like a straw, cup or a bag and that is okay,” says Malla adding you can’t let a mistake pull you down and deter you. The trick is to do what you can when you can and build on it. It should be a slow and steady lifestyle change rather than a drastic switch. “You have to understand that a zero-waste lifestyle is a process and not something you can discipline yourself into. You can never be perfect at it but you can be persistent,” she says.

Also, a complete zero-waste lifestyle isn’t practical or possible. Even if you use only what you absolutely need, you will inevitably have to discard things because of wear and tear. A zero-waste approach, however, helps you prolong the life of any object you use and thus be frugal with resources, whether it is by donating books and clothes you don’t need instead of throwing them away, or repairing the broken speakers or microwave and not buying a new one immediately. There will be things you can’t avoid but aiming for zero-waste will make you a more conscious consumer which, in turn, will translate into a lighter footprint on the planet.

Different readers of this article will have different reactions. Some people assume those in veterinary practice are money-hungry opportunists. Others are more aware of the costs of running an excellent veterinary practice that provides pets and their owners with 24/7 service and outstanding care.

I have been in the veterinary sector for over 13 years. I and my elder brother have witnessed firsthand the incredible balancing act that must be performed in order to keep our practice afloat. It not only requires blood, sweat and tears but a healthy cash flow to ensure the sustainability of quality care.

If we strive for excellent care we can’t cut corners. You may be saying, but it doesn’t cost much to look after animals. Would you say the same about a hospital looking after humans? You would expect the best and be willing to pay for quality service. This illuminates the disparity between how animal doctors and human doctors are perceived.

Running a quality veterinary practice involves huge investments. There are essential costs such as rent and utilities as well as costs for surgical instruments, medications and machines to provide effective care to the animals that come through the door with their owners. Some of these machines such as electro-cautery, X-ray and ultrasound are huge investments that may never provide “return on investment”. However they will be a critical part of services and care provided for animals when needed.

Manpower is another essential component of costs for a veterinary practice. Just as with physicians we should expect our veterinarians to be well trained and thus appropriately compensated for their knowledge and expertise. The disparity between human and animal doctors both in terms of salary and respect is vast, yet both are critical professionals.

Also read: What fuels animal cruelty in Nepal? 

If a person is unable or unwilling to pay their medical bills, they might be supported by the government, state, local agencies or even some good-hearted donors. On the flipside, if a pet owner is unable or unwilling to pay the medical bills after the treatment, the Vet Clinic is responsible for collecting what is owed to them in order to pay their staff. And there are many incidents where the owners never show up to get their pets so either the clinic has to adopt them or put them to sleep, which is one of the worst nightmares for the team.

Every veterinarian needs a community of staff around to ensure that both animals and their owners are valued and welcomed into the practice. If you want quality staff their salaries need to reflect the level of respect for the work they do, be they technicians, groomers, dog handlers or cleaners. Part of developing the ethos of a supportive veterinary practice team is ensuring that all members of the team are recognized both financially and personally. This is an investment in excellence of service at every level from a clean and sanitized exam room to a complex diagnosis and treatment protocol provided by the veterinarian.

Human doctors enter the profession to help people stay healthy and well, just like veterinarians enter the profession to help animals stay healthy and well. Veterinarians are passionate about their work and deeply committed yet they are often called “kukur/Gai/Khukhara (janawar) ko doctor” rather than veterinary doctors, which feels like the salutation is not humiliating the person but their profession. They willingly choose veterinary medicine because they love animals, and want to dedicate their lives to helping them live a better life as they can never speak and express their feeling of distress and pain when sick. Why is this then not seen as a noble cause due the same level of respect given to a human doctor in a hospital? We need to ask ourselves this question and to understand the implications of demeaning vets as money hungry rather than admiring them as professionals who are committed to high standards of care and compassion for all animals.

So the next time you’re tempted to shout “All you people care about is money!” at your exhausted, overworked and underpaid veterinarian, please stop and think. Remind yourself that veterinarians are motivated to care in the same way as human doctors and that this kind of care takes energy, resources and deep commitment. Many veterinarians give back to their communities by providing free or low cost vaccinations and spay/neuter clinics for stray animals, which also have a monetary value but they do that for the sake of their love and affection for animals.

The author is Co-Owner and Director at Vet for Your Pet. He works full time with his brother Dr. Pranav at their two clinics in Bhaktapur and Maharajgunj