KATHMANDU: Owing to the unabated smuggling of birds despite the country’s laws that prohibit trade of wildlife and its products, population of Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) has been pushed on the brink of extinction. The world’s largest bird species, Eurasian Eagle Owl is found in South Asian countries, except for Sri Lanka and Maldives. In March 2009, a pair of this rare bird was reported poached in Lumbini. “In recent times, many of this bird species are on the verge of extinction due to the excessive use of agro-chemicals, illegal bird trade and also perhaps by climate change as well,” said ornithologist Dr Hem Sagar Baral, chief technical adviser, Himalayan Nature. He has been monitoring bird population in the country for more than two decades. Of the 20 species of owls found in Nepal, most of the large owls are already threatened because of habitat loss and shortage of food. Owls are among the longest living terrestrial birds with record age of nearly 70 years in captivity. “Nepal’s owls are being smuggled to other countries through a network of dealers connected to powerful people in this country,” Baral claimed, wondering over the causative factor that has been driving the owl trade in such a huge scale. According to Baral, Indian scientists have been blaming Nepal and Bangladesh as the main port of illegal wildlife trade. Owl trade is now the fastest growing illegal trade on wild birds in the Indian subcontinent. “The recent trend of owl trade reminds the massive wildlife poaching cases of rhino and tiger,” he said. He feared as these birds might be the first bird species to extinct from the country if authorities fail to contain the smuggling immediately.