Rising temperatures in Lo Manthang, Mustang, have reduced the local vulture population and hindered indigenous funeral ceremonies that require the birds.

The Gurung community in the area feeds their dead to vultures, believing that this will send the deceased to heaven. It has recently become difficult to perform the ceremony because vultures are rarer.

"Only 5-6 vultures are born every year here; vultures only lay one egg, which takes 9-10 months to hatch."

Two recent studies have shown that the population of vultures has dropped by about 30 per cent a year.

While there is speculation that climate change is at fault, this hasn't been confirmed.