A DECLINE in the number of predatory birds has prompted more Tibetans in northwest China's Qinghai Province to turn from sky burial to cremation, once a privilege for high lamas, or spiritual teachers.

A funeral home perched on a hillside in Gonghe County of the heavily Tibetan and Mongolian prefecture of Hainan has opened four gilded pagoda-shaped cremation facilities to meet the growing demand for Tibetan-style cremations.

In line with Tibetan traditions, funeral rites are held at night and witnessed only by family members. They pose the deceased to resemble a sleeping infant before the cremation, collect the ashes and then hang sutra streamers outside the funeral home to pray for the soul's departure.

"The date of the funeral is determined by high lamas and the entire process must be completed before daybreak," said Jamyang, curator of the funeral home.

Jamyang said the facility was built in 1984 to serve Tibetans and Mongolians.

"Ten years ago, we held an average of 170 funerals a year, but the number increased to 380 last year and has continued to rise this year," said Jamyang.

Traditionally, commoners often chose excarnation, or sky burial, a traditional rite in which bodies are fed to predatory birds. It is regarded as an act of generosity, an important virtue for Buddhists.

But as modern medical facilities are more easily available in Tibetan communities, the traditional funeral rite is proving less convenient.

"The predatory birds seem to reject the smell of medicine and disinfectant, and sometimes stay away from the bodies," said Wang Jun, an official with Qinghai Province's civil affairs bureau.

The use of rat poison to ward off pests has caused a sharp decline in vultures, said Wang.

Wang and other government officials said they took the opportunity to promote cremation as an alternative, as it is environmentally friendly and consistent with the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.

Cremation services cost 680 yuan (US$109). In a sky burial, the yak that carries the body to the excarnation site must be set free. An adult yak is worth at least 4,000 yuan.

Qinghai has spent 150 million yuan to build 11 crematoriums in predominantly Tibetan areas since 2010.

"Sky burials are certainly not banned. We are just offering Tibetans more funeral options to ensure that the deceased are respected and the living are consoled," said Wang.