With thousands of migratory Amur Falcons arriving in Pangti village near Doyang reservoir in Wokha district, wildlife NGOs and village councils have stepped up their drives to stop hunting of the migratory birds that arrive in the hilly North-eastern State every year.
These birds travel one of the longest migration routes of 22,000 km in a year and they arrive in North-eastern State of Nagaland, particularly in Doyang Reservoir, its largest roosting site in the country from Siberia en route to their final destination to Somalia, Kenya and South Africa.
However, according to reports, thousands of these birds were being hunted by locals till last year for consumption, forcing the Nagaland forest department and some NGOs like the Natural Nagas and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to launch massive awareness drives to stop hunting of the birds. The NGOs launched a Rapid Action Project (RAP) and convinced at least three village councils — Ashaa, Pangti and Sungro — to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to stop hunting of Amur Falcons.
The falcons (Falco amurensis) travelling from Siberia are expected to roost in Nagaland for over a month, before carrying onwards journey to the African sub-continent.
“The Amur Falcons have arrived and were sighted first on October 1. Initially, around 50-60 birds were sighted but the numbers have gone up to a couple of thousands now. More are expected to arrive. No hunting or trapping has been reported so far, indicating that our efforts are making an impact,” said Steve Oduyo, secretary of Natural Nagas.
“We have been preparing for the conservation for long, and the falcons have finally started arriving here. Talking to villagers and council members, I feel positive that this year the falcons will be safe as there is sufficient awareness in and around these three villages,” said Yuri Pator of the WTI.
The NGOs have also been holding series of meetings with local bodies to prevent hunting of the winged guests. Awareness campaigns have also been held in schools to make children aware about these birds. They have also put up signs and posters to save the falcons and an Amur Falcon Protection Squad has also been formed.
Over the past month, the Forest Department assisted by Natural Nagas and WTI have been conducting various activities in and around these three villages to spread awareness on the plight of the falcons.