Tamenglong comes alive to Amur Falcon Festival
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Tamenglong, November 11 2023: With an aim to educate the public to protect and conserve migratory bird "Amur Falcon" locally known as "Akhuaipuina", the 8th edition of Amur Falcon Festival was held here on Saturday at Tamenglong Higher Secondary School.

The festival was organised by the Tamenglong Forest Division in collaboration with Rainforest Club Tamenglong and Wildlife Trust of India.

Tamenglong Deputy Commissioner Dr L Ang-shim Dangshawa, ADC Tamenglong Chief Executive Officer Kachamthai Feiga Gangmei and Tamenglong Divisional Forest Officer Amandeep attended the festival as chief guest, guest of honour and president respectively.

Manipur Wildlife Explorers president Kh Brajesh Kumar attended the festival and spoke as a resource person.

Tamenglong comes alive to Amur Falcon Festival

Tamenglong Sub-Divisional Officer Meidinbui Dichong, Wildlife Warden Nahemiah Panmei and members of Manipur Wildlife Explorers attended the festival.

Amur Falcons or Akhuaipuina have started arriving at Bhalok, Matung, Puching (Khebuching), Punglam, Duigailong and Chiuluan roosting sites on the banks of Barak River and Irang River since the first week of November.

The Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) is the world's longest travelling small raptors of the falcon family.

The Amur Falcons breed in South-Eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern and East Africa.

After migrating from their breeding ground, they reach North East India through China, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar during October.

They stay in North East States of Manipur, Naga-land, Assam, Meghalaya etc from second week to last week of November.

Then, they migrate and spend the cold winter season in the warm area of South Africa and stay there up to March-April.

They take a yearly travel of about 20,000 kilometres.

Notably, to conserve and study their migratory pattern, Amur Falcons were first tagged with satellite radio in Manipur in 2018 .

The hunting of the migratory bird is banned.

This year, the District Magistrate has issued a prohibition order and directed all villagers to deposit their air guns at their respective village authority offices.

During the festival today, Tamenglong Deputy Commissioner Dr L Angshim Dangshawa said that the festival was to educate the people and spread awareness about the importance of protecting the migratory bird.

The aim is to achieve zero killing of the Amur Falcon, the Deputy Commissioner said.

The villages are blessed to have the migratory, Akhuaipuina, he said urging the villagers to cooperate and extend their support in efforts being taken up to protect and conserve the Amur Falcons.

Tamenglong Divisional Forest Officer Amandeep stated that in order to protect and conserve the migratory bird, volunteers, Forest personnel and police have started patrolling the roosting sites along the Barak River valley in Chiuluan village every day since October 15 .

He said local protection teams consisting of volunteers and forest personnel have been stationed at roosting villages of Bhalok, Matung, Puching, Punglam, Duigailong and Chiuluan village.

This year, the first sighting of the Amur Falcon was reported in the second week of October.

Arrival of the birds in large flock began around the 3rd week of October, he said.

He appealed to the public, civil society organizations, clubs and students to discourage hunting and lend their support to the Forest Department in protecting the Amur Falcons.

"Let all of us make efforts to save the Amur Falcon and provide them safe and secure passage in their journey of thousand miles to the African continent," he said.

He informed that the Forest Department is conducting awareness programmes including poster campaigns at different villages and joining hands with the local volunteers and village authority members to protect the birds.

The awareness campaigns will reach schools and colleges.

Raids are being conducted at markets regularly to check hunting and selling of the migratory birds, Amandeep said.

ADC Tamenglong Chief Executive Officer Kachamthai Feiga Gangmei said the local people of Tamenglong should take responsibility to protect and conserve Amur Falcons.

Phalong (Bhalok) dance troupe performed beautiful traditional dances and Puching women presented beautiful "Akhuaipuina dance" to enchant the gathering.