PARBAT: An owl festival is scheduled to take place at Phalamedanda of Jaljala rural municipality-5 in Parbat on coming February 2-3.

The event to be organized by the Friends of Nature (FoN), Kathmandu, a non-profit organization will focus on discussions on various dimensions for the conservation of owl. The festival will be organized in collaboration with the locals, said Raju Acharya, owl conservation activist.

Poaching, smuggling, deforestation and the use of pesticides have largely posed threat to owl population and its existence, said Acharya who is also the executive director of FoN. Such type of event is being held in the US and Italy besides Nepal.

The event to be held with the theme of “Let’s join hands for conservation of Owl,” will have a photo exhibition on owl life. Among the 23 species of owls in Nepal, eight are presently endangered. The illegal smuggling of owls from Nepal is estimated to be worth millions of rupees annually, it is said.

RSS