| Church service in Nagaland villages and signature campaign to create awareness on Amur falcons | ||
| PULLOCK DUTTA | ||
Jorhat, Oct. 2: Pastor Manglio Nqullie had never presided over a Sunday prayer service for such a cause.
The pastor of the church in Wokha district
of Nagaland chose to say a prayer for the safe passage of Amur falcons,
the migratory raptors, which travel miles to take refuge at the wetland
near Doyang hydroelectric power project in the district before moving
on.
Nqullie never thought twice when the
Nagaland forest department approached him to prevail upon the villagers
to stop killing the birds.
The avians break their journey at the wetland while migrating from Siberia to Africa between October and November.
“These birds are the creation of God and
the Church is duty-bound to protect His creation. We dedicated last
Sunday’s prayers to the safe passage of these beautiful migratory
birds,” Nqullie told The Telegraph over phone today.
The pastor delivered special sermons to
make the people aware of the biblical perspective of conservation. These
emphasised the “wise stewardship entrusted in man by God to maintain
the sanctity of His creation”.
But Nquille’s was not the only church that
prayed for the wellbeing of the birds; six other churches in the three
villages of Pangti, Aasha and Sungro, located near the Doyang project,
did the same.
A signature campaign to ensure the safe passage of these birds this season was also carried out subsequently.
The posters on which the signature
campaign was carried out will be kept in the courtyards of the churches
to remind the villagers that they “prayed in the house of God to protect
the birds”.
Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is on
the IUCN Red List. These birds travel phenomenally long distances (up
to 22,000km), passing through India, East Asian and even European
countries while migrating in winter from Asia to southern African
countries like Botswana and Zimbabwe.
The species is protected under the Indian
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Convention of Migratory Species of
which India is a signatory.
The hunting of these birds in Wokha
district was first documented last year by Conservation India, a
Bangalore-based NGO, which stated in a report: “A mind-boggling 1,20,000
to 1,40,000 birds (Amur falcons) are slaughtered in Nagaland every
year.”
The report said Doyang probably witnesses
the single largest congregation of the birds in the world and it is
tragic that they are killed. The report, published last year, triggered
concern among wildlife enthusiasts across the country.
The three villages in Nagaland have nearly 1,000 families, and most of these people are involved in the massacre of the birds.
Kamdi Hemant Bhaskar, Nagaland deputy
conservator of forests, told The Telegraph from Kohima that the forest
department has been doing its bit to ensure that no harm is caused to
the birds this season but the unique step taken by the church is
commendable.
“I have never heard of Sunday prayers
being held for the safety of birds, at least not in the country. This is
a very special step taken by the Church. It has also come as a morale
booster for the people working to protect these birds,” Bhaskar said.
The forest official said that only time
would tell whether Nagaland has been successful in giving protection to
the Amur falcons this season but “one thing is certain: people do appear
to have started feeling guilty of their acts.”
“Hunting is a tradition for these people
and there is a lack of awareness. It will take time to give up old
habits but times will change...” he said.
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Special prayers for safety of winged visitors
Posted by
Sinlung
