One Health Pilot Program in Nar Phu, Nepal: Notes From the Field
Burning incense fills my lungs as a monk guides us through the warm light of flickering candles, past small rooms and buddha shrines, to his esteemed collection. It’s a stash of medicine, both traditional and western, and he presents it to us with pride. This blend of practiced custom and modern science is why we’re here after all—to pair the pulse of the past with the promise of the future.
The monk of this 660-year-old monastery is hosting our veterinary team from International Veterinary Outreach and Snow Leopard Conservancy. We’re here in the remote reaches of Nepal to share resources and knowledge, with the aim of promoting animal welfare, conservation, and human health in the villages of Nar & Phu.
A Human-Wildlife Interface Above the Clouds
Before arriving at the monastery, on our trek to Phu, we met with many locals—human and animal. The region of the Annapurna Conservation Area is full of Himalayan wildlife. We encountered the Himalayan vulture, the golden eagle, the lammergeier, herds of blue sheep, and pikas sunbathing on bedrock. Other animals call this section of the Himalayas home as well: mules, cattle, yaks, dzo, goats, horses, and dogs.
The Annapurna Conservation Area is also home to the charismatic and beautiful snow leopard, listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. These “ghosts of the mountains” are the driving force behind our pilot program in our recent visit to Nepal. Working with the Snow Leopard Conservancy and the San Francisco Zoo, we’re improving livestock health and husbandry practices for local herders with the objectives of:
Reducing livestock morbidity and mortality from preventable diseases and depredation from native predators, including snow leopards
Ending animosity and retaliatory killings of snow leopards
Improving local knowledge of the connectivity of human-animal health (One Health), thereby reducing disease transmission between people and animals
Strengthening job security and confidence for herders who rely on livestock to make a living that provides for their families
Our calculated and collaborative One Health approach is designed to promote coexistence and compassion for all living things that benefits native fauna and domestic animals while protecting the livelihoods of the Nepali people.
Visiting the Nar Phu Valley of Nepal
Nar and Phu, the destinations for our One Health Pilot Program, are two communities notable for their profound isolation from the rest of society. This is partially due to Nepal travel restrictions that barred international visitors until 1992. These restrictions allowed Nar and Phu to remain uninfluenced by outsiders, especially in comparison to the villages along the nearby popular Annapurna trekking circuit.
When we arrived, we found that walking through Phu was like traveling back in time. The cluster of stone-walled dwellings is perched on a hill overlooking the Phu river. Ancient walls outline the paths of narrow alleyways, and the brisk mountain air is often marked by the heady smell of yak dung and horse manure.
Our personal guide and local partner, Tashi, showed us around as villagers offered us Tibetan tea—a rich, hot drink made of milk, butter, salt, and herbs. After acquainting ourselves with the town, we held our first seminar, hosted by the local Narpa Bhumi Rural Municipality. We tackled concerns regarding livestock depredation and disease transmission, and helped the community work toward overcoming vaccine hesitancy.
Finally, we concluded the session with hands-on training in wound cleaning, wound management, bandaging, and infection prevention in livestock. We left the herders with new techniques and a large bag of bandaging and wound cleaning supplies, along with 500 doses of oral rehydration salts for treating dehydration in animals and people. That evening we crossed the footbridge to the monastery, where a monk now displays his western and traditional medicine.
In two days, we’ll move to the higher village of Nar (4,110m / 13,484ft). For now, we watch the stars emerge through the mountain haze above the monastery with prayer flags blowing in the wind, and we are satisfied with today’s achievements.
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