Agriculture is the primary livelihood for most residents of Rukum East, with animal husbandry playing a key role. Among them, sheep farming remains a major occupation. As winter sets in, herders from the Himalayan and highland regions migrate to lower altitudes for grazing land.

Sheepherders from Takshera have arrived near Thuli Daha in ward 7 of Musikot Municipality. They left home in mid-November, travelling through Thawang in Rolpa and Nau Bahini Lek before reaching Musikot in December. According to herder Kar Bahadur Budhamagar, they will stay until mid-March before moving to the pastures around Dhorpatan, where they remain until September-November before returning home for the festival season.

Budhamagar said herding is their ancestral occupation, with herders spending months moving in search of grazing land. Tej Kumari Budha said that while herders once took their sheep as far as the hills of Pyuthan and Dang, they now remain in nearby regions. The number of herding families in Musikot has declined from around 10-12 to just three, with around 600 sheep in total.

Sheepherders sustain themselves through their trade, selling each sheep for between Rs15,000 and Rs30,000. However, shrinking grazing land and a lack of support have made the occupation increasingly challenging. With younger generations showing little interest in sheep farming, herders fear their means of livelihood is at risk of disappearing.