KATHMANDU: Sheep farmers in Bajura have begun migrating to lower altitudes as extreme cold conditions hit the high mountain regions.
The movement of sheep herds follows rainfall and snowfall in the second week of Kartik, which led to a shortage of grazing land in the highlands. Suman Thapa, a sheep farmer from Budhiganga Municipality-9, said he moved to the lowlands with his family and 200 sheep to escape the harsh weather.
He is currently traveling along the Sanfe-Martadi road section toward Gail in Achham. Farmers typically migrate to lower areas during the winter months, returning only in Chaitra or Baisakh, as heavy snow makes it difficult to graze livestock in the high-altitude pastures. This seasonal migration is a long-standing tradition that protects livestock from the winter cold and ensures access to fodder.
Farmers from the district’s high-altitude regions regularly move their herds to areas such as Budhiganga and Khaptad Chhededaha, or to neighboring districts like Doti and Achham, to survive the winter. This practice remains a defining feature of the local pastoral lifestyle and animal husbandry traditions in the region.
