SHANGRALA'S

HONEY HUNTERS OF NEPAL!

      Andrew Newey, an award-winning UK-based travel photographer, has captured gripping photographs of central Nepalese Gurung tribe members engaged in a dangerous and ancient tradition - honey hunting.

      You Think Your Job Is Hard? Check This Out. Enjoy! :)
Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      Twice a year, the Gurung honey hunters ascend to the base of cliffs in central Nepal and ascend them to collect honey.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      The Gurung people balance themselves on suspended rope ladders, and use the same tools that their ancestors did - long sticks called "Tangos" to prod and push off wild beehives along the cliffs of the Himalaya.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      Besides the danger of falling, they also happen to be harvesting the honey of the largest honeybee in the world. The Himalayan honey bee can grow to be up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in length.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      After lighting smoke fires at the base of the cliff to smoke out the bees, they climb their ladders and collect their honey.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      The open cliff-face hives help protect the bees from predators and keeps them warm by exposing them to sunlight.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      The honeycombs eventually separate from the Cliffside and fall into special hanging baskets the Gurung prepare in advance.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      They don't use special safety gear and prefer to work barefoot.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      What a job! Can you imagine balancing yourself on a plain rope ladder, trying to knock a beehive off of a cliff, all the while surrounded by hundreds of angry bees?



Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      Sadly, the art of honey hunting might be gone soon. Despite having a rich history, the younger generation doesn't seem to be interested in continuing it, following in their ancestor's footsteps. Add to that the fact that climate change is causing bees to decline.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      It's possible that the greatest threat to honey hunting is the discovery of the amazing medicinal properties of Himalayan honey. The Nepalese government gives rights for harvesting local wild honey to foreign contractors rather than to the indigenous population, in order to speed up harvesting and use the honey for export.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      Honey hunting is among the oldest known human activities. There is an 8,000-year-old cave painting in Spain that portrays a man climbing vines to collect honey.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      Due to grayanotoxins from the white rhododendrons the bees feed on in the spring, their spring honey can be intoxicating, and fetches high prices in Japan, Korea and China.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal
      The day the Gurung will have to change their way of life seem to be getting closer, but these magnificent pictures are a testament to this amazing practice and the unique way of life of the people of the Gurung tribe.

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal

Shangrala's Honey Hunters Of Nepal



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