Cultural Differences

This is the time of year that the parahawking birds need to get fit again after sitting around in their aviaries all monsoon. We took Kevin and Bob, the two Egyptian vultures, to a grassy area between the lake and some rice paddies to do some exercising flights with them.

When we arrived, we were not alone. There were about 100 crows screaming and circling in the air, with a few black kites circling among them. We noticed a single crow in the water not too far from the shore, paddling frantically with his wings trying to make it to dry land. As we were standing there watching the crow to make sure he made it, I glanced to my left and saw a little boy... with a grin... and a rock. I'm not sure how much English he knew, but I just shook my head at him with a disgusted look on my face, and said "No, don't throw rocks at animals."

After a moment his grin faded, then a little while later he dropped the rock on the ground, soon after that he went away. We were able to exercise Kevin and Bob once the crows had settled down again, but the image of that grinning boy remains with me.

Nepalis generally have a very different view of animals than we do in the west. They are either useful - for milk or eggs or meat - or useless. An animal's place in the ecosystem doesn't matter to most Nepalis. We tend to believe that animals have a right to live free from persecution and pain - that concept is also foreign to most Nepalis.

In the US, if a young boy threw rocks at a crow, he would receive feedback from others around him that his action was morally wrong. This is a regular occurrence in Nepal, and that feedback isn't present.

Working at an animal rescue facility in Nepal is so completely different than anything in the US. There are no laws to protect animals, and the basic idea of helping an animal in need is absent. It will take some getting used to, and hopefully I will be able to see some change here as well.

Fisherman at sunset on Phewa Tal

Early morning along Phewa Tal

On a lighter note, it's unbelievably beautiful here. Here are some images I see on a daily basis here.