Bulls pampered a year fight for a day in Nepal

The bulls have easy lives for most of the year. They don't pull plows or wagons. They are fed eggs, rice, corn and buttermilk.

Then, for one day near the end of winter, they fight, lowering their heads and locking horns on a dusty field as thousands of people cheer from the hillsides in this sleepy village in Nepal.

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, Nepalese people gather to watch bulls fight during the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, Nepalese people gather to watch bulls fight during the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The bulls push, they shove, they bellow and eventually — normally after 15 minutes or so __ one slinks away and a winner is declared. There are occasional bruises, but villagers say bloodshed is very rare.

Twenty pairs of bulls trained for this year's festival. Each bull wrestles once. Winners get the honor of victory and 5,000 rupees ($50). Losers get 3,000 rupees ($30). If there is no winner after 30 minutes, the prize money is divided equally.

Organizers believe bulls have been fighting in Taruka for more than 200 years, making the village famous across the region.

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, Shyam Adhikari, 14, scratches his 11 years old bull, Tare while he prepares it for the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, bulls fight during the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal. In this sleepy mountain village in Nepal, bulls face off for one day every year, locking horns in a quest for victory and prize money.  (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, Nepalese people gather and watch bulls fight during the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal.  (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

But every year, villages like Taruka are losing young men who leave for cities — or other countries — in search of jobs, money and easier lives. As villages empty of their men, those who remain increasingly fear traditions like the bull fights will end.

Dilip Shrestha brought his 6-year-old bull to this years's festival. He had been preparing it for six months.

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, a Nepalese man feeds his bull before the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal.(AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, bulls fight during the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal.  (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Jan. 15, 2018, photo, Nepalese people gather to watch bull fight during the Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal.  (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

"I am not participating in the bull fight for the prize money but I believe we should continue this tradition that our great-grandfathers began centuries ago," said Shrestha, whose bull won its fight last year. "Our small village is known to the outside world because of this unique tradition."

The fights are held during Nepal's Maghe Sankranti festival, which marks the beginning of warmer and longer days. Residents say the fights were originally organized by Nepal's former royal rulers, who wanted to entertain villagers when they came after the year's harvest to collect taxes.

In this Jan. 14, 2018, photo, a Nepalese man feeds his bull on the eve of Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal.  (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

In this Jan. 14, 2018, photo, a Nepalese man warms up with his bull on the eve of Maghe Sankranti bull fight festival in Taruka, Nuwakot, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Hundreds of climbers, mountaineers and officials gathered in Kathmandu on Wednesday to discuss the risks of scaling Mount Everest at a time of warming temperatures and as a surge in climbers creates new challenges, including the garbage they leave behind.

The “Everest Summiteers Summit” in Nepal's capital was held during what is believed to be the most crowded season ever on the world's highest peak, with hundreds of climbers and their Sherpa guides scaling the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak in just a few days this month.

Nepal issued a record 494 permits for foreign climbers this season, with the number of people who reached the summit believed to be more than 900. That would be the highest number to ever reach the summit during the spring climbing season. The final official number will be available only later.

A sherpa guide who recently achieved the a record of the most ascents — 32 — warned that the numbers are creating problems.

“Nepal should only allow no more than 250 climbers that are issued permit to climb from the Nepal side,” Kami Rita Sherpa said. “It will be good if the government was to limit the number.”

In recent times photos shared from the mountain have shown lines of hundreds of climbers stuck in traffic jams, clipped to fixed ropes and waiting for the chance to reach the summit.

With hundreds of climbers, their guides and workers, there are some 3,000 people living on Mount Everest during the climbing season, which ends this month. It has remained a challenge to remove all their waste when tents are pulled down.

There are strict government rules requiring climbers to remove their garbage but much gets left behind anyway. Climbers say keeping the mountain pristine should remain a priority.

“We should take the rubbish from the mountain and we should protect our Himalayas,” said He Jing, a renowned Chinese climber.

Currently anyone can apply for permit as long as they pay $15,000 to the government as a permit fee.

But now the Nepalese government is working on new regulations requiring them to have experience.

Nathaniel Douglas, a climber from Seattle, told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the conference that he sees people who have never climbed a mountain who hope to scale Everest after seeing images on social media.

“So they really don’t understand what mountaineering is, like what it actually takes to summit Mount Everest and get back down safely,” he said.

British mountaineer Adriana Brownlee, the youngest woman to climb all 14 highest peaks, said the weather on the mountains was getting warmer, increasing the risks for climbers.

“Every year the (Khumbu) Icefall seems more unstable because of global warming,” she said. adding that water underneath is melting faster, causing the seracs — blocks of ice — to fall much easier because of the movement underneath.

A huge serac hanging dangerously over the route just above the base camp forced climbers to delay their climb last month.

Everest climbers pose for a group photo during the 'Everest Summiteers Summit' in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Upendra Man Singh)

Everest climbers pose with Nepal's President Ram Chandra Poudel, seated left, and Nepal's Tourism Minister Khadak Raj Paudel during the 'Everest Summiteers Summit' in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Upendra Man Singh)

Kami Rita Sherpa, a renowned Mount Everest guide, attends the 'Everest Summiteers Summit' in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Upendra Man Singh)

Friends and family members wait as renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita, returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent, arrives in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)