Lamjung, 23 January: Durjung Gurung, 52, of Simrung, Dordi Rural Municipality-5, Lamjung, has been herding sheep and goats for the past 24 years, from Srimanjang to Lepekharka via Okhari, Salme, and Simrung. When winter sets in, he follows the flock of sheep from Lepekharka to Srimanjang. The past 24 years seem like 24 days to him. He loves his sheep and goats as much as his own children, and he does not realize how much time has passed while following the flock of sheep. He has been following all three sheep and goats to this day.
After the death of the shepherd Gurung Baba, his brother and great-grandfathers left the sheepfold because they were sad, he has been managing this sheepfold since failing the class 10 test in 2057 BS to continue the ancestral profession of the Gurung community, earn some money and make a living. He said that although initially there were 80-90 sheep and goats for 28 people including himself, now the number has increased to more than 800 sheep and goats, both small and large, from 21 households in Dudhpokhari Rural Municipality-6, Jorne, and 45 households in Simurang. Three people are helping him.
Apart from humans, four dogs have also been providing security. Before there were these sheep and goats, there were 700 about five years ago and 300 sheep and goats were sold at one time, and the number has increased from 400 to that number now, said shepherd Gurung. He said, “Every year, sheep and goats worth 1.5-1.6 million are sold from this sheep farm. It is said that one-year-old sheep are sold for 15,000, two-year-old sheep for 20,000 and three-year-old sheep for 30,000.
Although there is a demand for sheep and goats, especially during the months of Dashain, Mangsir, Poush and Falgun, sales have started to decrease like in previous years. Earlier, sheep and goats were not everywhere, but now they are in every household, and the demand has started to decrease, said Gurung, a sheep herder. He said that the donors give at least one thousand rupees for the sheep shed and also provide food and water, and he has been making a living on that. He said that he gives three shepherds one hundred thousand rupees each annually and that he takes it after other expenses and does not take it without paying. He pays compensation if the sheep and goats eat other people’s crops.
He said that due to various problems such as lack of grazing land, problems with access to pastures, and climate change, it has become difficult to maintain the sheep herd and the suffering is innumerable. He says that he earns about 1.5 lakh rupees annually by selling the sheep and goats he raises, but if the tigers and bears cause damage, it will not be the same. He has been shepherding this sheep and has been supporting his wife, two daughters and one son with the money he earned from the sale. He said, “My youngest daughter got married, and now, apart from my youngest daughter, we have been living with this money, and we have not been able to live happily. I have no other profession, no matter what, I am doing this profession, and I have no choice but to enjoy it,” said the shepherd Gurung.
Even though he used to run sheepfolds until his time, the new generation is neglecting sheepfolds, and he is worried that sheepfolds are disappearing. He stressed that the government should encourage and train the new generation and protect sheepfolds. He said, “In Chait-Baishakh, the grass in the valleys runs out, the grass does not grow in the lakes, it keeps snowing, there is a problem with grass.” It takes a whole day to even get a heavy firewood in the pasture. A daily fee must be paid for grazing in the community forest. He said that compensation has been provided if sheep and goats go into any community forest without permission. The sheepfolds in the lakes and pastures are facing problems. There is no phone service, so we have to find a place to get a phone service. When we are sick, we eat herbs from the forest, but when we are seriously ill or when something happens, it takes 10 days to reach the valley, he said.
Meanwhile, Prabin Regmi, an employee of the Dordi Rural Municipality Animal Husbandry Branch, said that since there is a budget of Rs. 1.5 million, all the sheep and goats in the sheepfold have been immersed in medicine to treat internal parasites.
Dordi Rural Municipality Chairman Yubaraj Adhikari said that although various programs have been implemented to prevent the extinction of sheep herds and for shepherds, not all problems can be solved due to lack of sufficient budget at present, but they will be addressed in the coming years.
