Campaign saves migratory falcons

A massacre and a miracle, Pangti in the Wokha district of Nagaland has seen both within a span of a year. In October-November last year, this scenic village on the edge of the massive Doyang dam reservoir was the site of a mass carnage. An estimated 1,20,000 to 1,40,000 Amur falcons were killed here by locals for food as the migratory bird made its customary stop in the district while flying back to Africa from its breeding grounds in Siberia.

The birds returned this year — up to a million of them descending around the man-made water body in October and November. But not a single falcon was trapped and killed this time around, say conservationists and forest officials. If there's any such thing as a miracle in conservation, it has been achieved in this remote corner of India's North-east through the joint effort of NGOs and the state government.

Asad R Rahmani, director of the Bombay Natural History Society — one of the agencies which worked with the locals to stop the hunting — says the turnaround was without precedent. "We haven't seen such results anywhere else. Credit should go to the Nagaland government that acted swiftly, with the chief minister himself getting involved," he says.

The Amur falcon is an insect-eating raptor with an epic migratory route. It breeds in south-east Siberia and north China in the summer before flying back to south and east Africa ahead of winter. On its way back, the falcon halts at the Doyang reservoir.

Bird experts say the October-November halt at Doyang is the largest congregation of Amur falcons in the world. "Though the reservoir has been in existence only since 2001, these birds have been traditionally coming to the area. Village elders say the sky would turn dark when huge flocks of falcons arrived," says Bano Haralu, a TV journalist-turned-conservationist , who is the founding trustee of the Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Trust (NWBCT).

NWBCT was one of the organizations that recorded and publicized last year's mass killing of falcons. "Though hunting of the falcons has been going on for years, it had never reached the scale seen last year. Locals say the forest department did not issue a notification against the hunting till late into the season last year," says Haralu.

Around 12,000-14 ,000 falcons were hunted every day, to be consumed by the locals and sold as meat. According to accounts , the birds' wings were broken and were kept alive in mosquito nets or cane baskets before being strung from rods and carried to markets. Many were de-feathered and smoked for longer shelf life. Each falcon fetched the hunter Rs 16-25.

Zanthungo Shitiri, head of the local fishermen's union, admits that each hunter made anywhere between Rs 20,000 to 40,000 last season. "There were around 150 hunters, all of whom are local fishermen," he says. The massacre shocked conservation circles. It also came as a major embarrassment to India which had assumed the chair of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at a meet held in Hyderabad in October 2012 — around the time the falcons were killed. Also, as a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species, it is India's duty to provide safe passage to all migratory birds.

NGOs and the state government got down to work. NWBCT, in association with BNHS, set up eco clubs among local children where awareness was raised about the falcon and its amazing migratory habits. Haralu says the adults got sensitized through their kids. The church was involved in spreading the word. Other NGOs negotiated with the village council to stop the hunting.

The government too stepped up vigilance. CM Neiphiu Rio himself visited Pangti village, home to the Lotha tribe, in November this year and appealed to the villagers to not hunt the birds. "This is probably the first time that the chief minister of Nagaland, where hunting is a way of life, has asked people not to hunt," says Neha Sinha, project in-charge of BNHS.

Activists say the campaign needs to be sustained. Livelihood issues of the villagers — especially the diminishing returns from fishing — need to be addressed if they are to restrained from hunting. "Everybody loves this bird. But we've to look after our families," says Shitiri.

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