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	Vulture breeding centre in Nepal Although significant progress has been made with the vulture programme in Nepal over the past four years it was only early in 2008 that the Government was able to give its formal approval for the South Asian Vulture Recovery Programme. Following this approval, three Nepali conservation organisations, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) and Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) worked rapidly together to start construction of the vulture centre. The new centre is located on DNPWC land adjacent to the Gharial and Turtle Conservation Breeding Centre at Kasara in the Chitwan National Park. Although the vulture centre is managed by separate staff to the other centre their proximity provides a great opportunity to share and exchange skills in the care of these endangered species. With many national and international tourists visiting the area each year it provides a good opportunity for them to learn of the plight of the vultures and what can be done to save the species. The first phase of the development consisted of two aviaries which provided good holding space for the new vultures captured this year. Construction of a larger aviary is now underway (January 2009) based on the design of the colony aviaries proving successful in the breeding centre in Pinjore, India. The will provide the young vultures with the opportunity for full flight and in a few years we expect birds to begin breeding in this aviary.


	The vulture centre is managed by the NTNC, the largest wildlife conservation NGO in Nepal, that is also responsible for the management of the Central Zoo in Kathmandu. NTNC is able to call on the skills of the zoo staff (both keepers and veterinarians) as they develop skills of the new staff at the centre. The Nepali team will also be able to call on the skills and experiences in vulture husbandry already developed in the centres in India and recent training visit to the BNHS centre at Pinjore, India, has facilitated this. Staff from the NTNC constructed the two aviaries, with support and materials from the DNPWC and technical guidance on the design from BNHS, ZSL and RSPB. Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) is responsible for catching the wild vultures for the centre. Although the first vultures taken this year are all fledgling white-backed vultures it is planned to capture adult vultures of both species in the future to ensure there is a good age mix in the centre. Members of BCN staff and vulture researchers worked to identify and monitor vulture nests around the Pokhara region during January to March 2008. These sites were then visited in April in order to capture vulture chicks for the centre. Follow this link for more information on the catching of vultures in Nepal during 2008. The aim of the centre is to hold up to 25 pairs of each of the two Gyps vultures species now critically endangered in Nepal - the Oriental white-backed vulture and the slender-billed vulture. As numbers in the centre increase additional aviaries will be built to provide the best environment for them in which to breed in the future. Funding for the programme comes from the ZSL and RSPB, with DNPWC, NTNC and BCN all contributing further significant staff time and resources.