A steppe eagle, one of the most significant migratory birds recorded in Nepal, was found dead after being electrocuted on an exposed electric line in western Chitwan on Thursday, while a rare gharial was discovered entangled in an illegal fishing net in the district’s eastern belt.

Conservationists say both incidents highlight mounting risks to vulnerable species from human activities and poorly managed infrastructure.

The steppe eagle—Egypt’s national bird and a species featured on the national flag of Kazakhstan—arrives in Nepal after crossing the Himalayas from Mongolia to escape the harsh winter. Despite this remarkable journey, the bird was found lifeless on Thursday morning.

Apil Ghimire, conservation worker widely known as ‘Rapti Kaka’, said he located the dead eagle at around 9:30am beneath an electric pole along an inner road at Brahmapuri in ward 13 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City. A separate bird, believed to have hit the same power line, was still hanging from the cable.

“The eagle’s legs were badly burnt, clearly showing it was electrocuted. The other bird was dangling from the wire above. These unsafe naked power lines are extremely dangerous for large raptors,” Ghimire said.

Hathan Chaudhary, chair of the Nepalese Ornithological Union, said the steppe eagle population is declining globally. This places it on the sensitive species list. He said the bird travels to Nepal from Mongolia beginning in October, stays until April, and then returns north, often following the Kali Gandaki corridor in western Nepal.

Chaudhary warned that uninsulated power lines pose a major risk to raptors. “We have repeatedly asked electricity authorities to avoid exposed lines where possible, and where not possible, to install visible markers so birds can detect the wires. Many vultures have died this way, and now steppe eagles too,” he said.

The steppe eagle also holds scientific significance for Nepal: British naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson first identified the species for global science from Nepal in 1833.

Its scientific name, Aquila nipalensis, reflects this origin. Conservationists described the electrocution of such a bird as a tragic loss. The dead eagle has been handed over to Bikas Puri of the Agriculture and Forestry University for study.

Later the same day, a team from Chitwan National Park rescued a gharial trapped in a fishing net in the Budhi Rapti stream near Chitrasari Bridge in ward 8 of Ratnanagar Municipality.

Abinash Thapa Magar, conservation officer and park information officer, said nets remain in use despite being banned, and their presence is putting endangered aquatic species at risk. “The gharial feeds only on fish and depends on clean, flowing rivers. Illegal nets are a persistent problem, and they threaten the survival of this critically endangered species,” he said.

A survey conducted last year recorded 352 gharials across the Rapti, Budhi Rapti, Dhungre and Narayani river systems. This year’s monitoring has already begun as conservationists continue to raise concerns about rising threats to both birds and aquatic wildlife.