Wildlife & Flora
Himalayan Griffon
Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) is a wildlife & flora sighting recorded around Lukla, Tengboche, Namche Bazaar.
- Scientific name
- Gyps himalayensis
- Local name
- Himali Giddha
- Category
- Wildlife & Flora
A close pass by one of these giants with a wingspan of up to 10 feet is an amazing experience. A crazy fact about these birds is that in parts of Dolpo and Mustang, the dead are offered to them in an ancient rite of sky burial. While the rite seems surreal and spooky especially when the corpse is being chopped down, it makes perfect sense in a land where cremation is out of the question because wood is scarce and burial is ineffective because decomposition can take ages due to the dry air and general lack of micro- organisms.
