KARNALI, June 18: Last week, Lok Bahadur Singh of Jajarkot died while visiting Dolpa’s high-altitude pastures to collect caterpillar fungus (Yarsagumba), locally known as the “life herb.” Singh, 43, from Nalgad Municipality, suffered altitude sickness while reaching the Tinjung Khola pasture area in Dho-Taski of Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality–3. He died en route while being brought toward Dunai on May 30 in the Lainee area of Kaike Rural Municipality.
Similarly, 24-year-old Angbu Budha of Guthichaur Rural Municipality–3, Jumla, also died in Dolpa’s pastures while collecting the herb. She lost consciousness due to altitude sickness at Phulwar pasture in She Phoksundo Rural Municipality–8 and died while being taken to a health post on 18 May.
A 17-year-old girl, Mankali Rokaya from Guthichaur Rural Municipality–1, Jumla, also died this year in a caterpillar fungus pasture. She suffered altitude sickness at Khangla pasture in She Phoksundo Rural Municipality–5 and died while being taken to She Phoksundo health post in the second week of May.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Raj Giri, chief of the District Police Office, Dolpa, three people have died this season in caterpillar fungus pastures, while 11 others have fallen ill, including three foreign nationals. “The sick were rescued from the pastures and brought to the district headquarters, Dunai,” he said.
He added that poor communication networks and difficult terrain delay rescue operations. “Phones do not work in the pastures, and we often receive late information,” he said. “Because of delayed rescue, people collecting the life herb are losing their lives.”
Yarsagumba collection to start in Dolpa from May 25
Deaths are not new. Every year, people die while collecting caterpillar fungus. Police data shows that 18 people have died in Dolpa’s pastures over the past four years alone.
In Kaike Rural Municipality of Dolpa, 40-year-old Kanchi BK gave birth in a pasture during caterpillar fungus collection on 31 May last year. Due to extreme cold, the newborn died after three days. She had delivered the baby at the Byasrishi Community Forest pasture.
Krishna Bahadur Shahi, 39, of Aathbiskot Municipality–9 in Rukum West, was a temporary school teacher. He left his job after suffering from jaundice and went to Thage pasture in Dolpa with villagers to collect caterpillar fungus. “He went to the pasture despite illness to manage education and household expenses for his five children,” said relative Prema Malla. “He neither got caterpillar fungus nor survived.”
His family did not even get to see his body. “Because it takes four to five days to carry bodies back from the pasture, he was cremated there,” she said. “His 11-year-old son is performing the mourning rituals. The caterpillar fungus journey is truly dangerous.”
According to the Karnali Province Police Office, 18 people have died in Dolpa since mid-April 2022, while 52 have fallen ill. In Mugu, 10 people have died, and 21 have fallen sick due to altitude sickness, while two deaths have been recorded in Jumla.
With the opening of high-altitude caterpillar fungus pastures in Dolpa, temporary settlements have emerged across dozens of grazing areas. Thousands of people risk their lives to collect the valuable herb.
People from across Karnali and other parts of the country—including Rukum West, Rukum East, Jajarkot, Jumla, Salyan, Dailekh, Achham, Bajura, Humla, and Mugu—have gathered in large numbers. The pastures are crowded with schoolchildren, mothers carrying infants, youths, and the elderly.
Hoping to earn enough in a month to sustain their families for a year, many households have locked their homes and moved to the pastures. Despite the dangers of cliffs, avalanches, and freezing cold, people continue searching for caterpillar fungus day and night.
“From Bukhe pasture to Chinarangsi, Ratamata, and Pokepani, there is a massive crowd,” said local journalist Bishnu Prasad Devkota, who is in the area. “From outside it may look beautiful, but the reality is extremely harsh. People from children to the elderly are risking their lives for the life herb.”
According to Science Sen Oli, acting chief conservation officer of She Phoksundo National Park, more than 5,000 people are currently in the pastures. “There are 16 entry points to the pastures,” he said. “More than five thousand people have entered through those points.”
He said around Rs 10 million has been collected in revenue so far this year. Last year, the total revenue reached Rs 19.3 million. The park charges Rs 500 for buffer zone residents, Rs 2,000 for locals, and Rs 3,000 for people from outside the district.
In addition to the park, local governments also collect revenue. Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality Chair Chhiring Kyapne Lama said the municipality has collected Rs 2.8 million this year from caterpillar fungus collectors. Between 5,000 and 7,000 people have gone to Mugu’s pastures this year. Last year, Mugu collected Rs 3.2 million, while this year’s collection has reached Rs 2.8 million so far, according to police.
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