Naga villages pledge to save migratory Amur Falcons

People of three villages of Nagaland have made a pledge to protect and conserve the migratory Amur falcons which are usually hunted on a large scale by villagers for the birds' meat.
Village Council Members (VCM) of Pangti, Asshaa and Sungro of Wokha district signed an agreement with two NGOs to assist Nagaland forest department to stop the wide-scale hunt of the birds which came to light last year, a release issued by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said here today.
Besides the WTI, the other NGO was Wokha-based Natural Nagas, who signed the Memorandum of Understanding earlier this week.

Thousands of these birds were hunted annually for their meat in the district as they crossed the region en route to Africa from Siberia.
Hunters used fishing nets to trap the birds when they come to roost during late evenings or while leaving early in the morning, the release said.
The three villages have pledged to save the migratory raptor in Doyang Reservoir, its largest roosting site in the country, and a resolution was passed by the villages to penalise offenders upto Rs 5000 from this year.

The MoU pledged to generate awareness to engage locals in formulating watch squads to help protect the birds.

It was also agreed to formulate laws and guidelines in accordance with the VCMs to prohibit hunting and poaching of Amur falcons and help mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.
"Following a report on the hunting of Amur Falcons by Conservation India, a Rapid Action Project was initiated by WTI and Natural Nagas to spread awareness on the plight of the species among the local communities," said Natural Nagas spokesperson Steve Odyuo.