KOHIMA: The Amur Falcon, a Siberian raptor that travels one of the longest distances from home in eastern Russia and northeastern China to southern Africa every year after breeding season halts at Nagaland during November.
Pangti village in Nagaland’s Wokha district, which is home to some 10,000 Amur falcons had emerged as a hunting ground for the locals.
“There are so many Amur falcons from October to November that if you throw a stone it will hit a bird,” said Ziren Yanthan, a former hunter.
“We used to lay nets and throw worms. As they descended to eat the worms, they got trapped,” he said, adding that four pieces of Amur falcon meat costed `100 two years ago.
So what changed the practice of hunting them for food? “There were posters all over Pangti and the neighbouring villages.
Seminars were held to teach people about conserving migratory bird. Slowly, people started realising their mistake and stopped hunting them,” he said. “People still feed the birds but without the traps. Temporary bird watchtowers have also been constructed,” Ziren said.