Dec

The Falcon Groves of Guangram

Finding my way uphill through shifting rocks and dense bamboo thickets turned out to be more exhausting than I had imagined. Bruised and battered, I slowly pulled myself up, one step at a time. It was a beautiful morning but with each passing second I could feel the sky getting darker and my breathing more intense. An hour-long ordeal and I finally entered the Falcon Groves of Guangram. Tens of thousands of Amur falcons had taken over the tree canopy. A cacophony of clamour had never been more magical. I resisted staring up until I had found myself a safe base to indulge.

Amur Falcons congregating near Guangram Village, Tamenglong, Manipur | Photo by Madhumay Mallik

It was just an hour ago when I was gazing at a mountain that seemed to hold a treasure. A trek to the top seemed impossible, more so because I had sprained my angle the earlier evening. But I had a task in hand and I had to be here. Travelling all the way from Delhi to the heart of Manipur, there was no way I could let the opportunity go. And when the magic finally unfolded above me, it was all worth it.

The guest from the far north

Every year, on the onset of winter, the Amur Falcon – A small insectivorous raptor, strong enough to fly 22,000 km across continents flock to India’s Northeast. Here they fatten up, feeding voraciously on the plentiful food available before flying towards the wintering grounds (in this case summer time) in South Africa.

Sadly, for many of them, the journey is cut short in the hills of Manipur.

Despite the Wildlife Protection Act, hunting remains a common practice in the hills of Northeast India. In Manipur, each bird has a price tag between 50 and 100 rupees in the local market and buyers come from as far as Meghalaya for the meat. For most buyers, it’s the alleged healing capabilities. Afterall, for a bird that can travel such a long distance, it is nothing short of a superpower, and “it’s not wrong to want the same for myself”, exclaims a local. While the hunting and sale of Amur Falcons is banned in India, the trade still goes on ‘under covers’.

An injured Amur Falcon found during the trek | Photo by Madhumay Mallik

But at the same time, there are people like Gailanlung from Guangram who have formed local volunteer groups to patrol the local groves and protect their feathered guests from being hunted by other members of his community. He and nine other locals have been brought together by Rainforest Club, Tamenglong, a local NGO, to provide safe passage to these migratory birds under a Rapid Action Project by Wildlife Trust of India, supported by Fondation Segré .

The living dynamics in this part of the world is completely different from the rest of the country. After completing his high school, Gailanglung had tried his hands on several businesses. He had once put his life’s savings, topped by a bank loan, to start a poultry farm. But he wasn’t able to raise the chicks as a road blockage that lasted a month cut off his supply of chicken feed. All of his 300 chicks had died, leaving behind a desperate family that is still trying to grasp on straws. A usual day of Gailanglung’s life is spent catching fish in the village pond, foraging wild plantains and other vegetables and playing with baby Jhang, his youngest of his two. It’s the same for most families in this small village that hosts the falcons annually. Life is tough and the means of living are few. Even a year ago, Guangram was completely cut off during the monsoons. Even today, on a rainy week, it becomes quite the risk if not impossible to get to Guangram from Tamenglong, the nearest city, about 10 kilometres away.

Gailanglung’s father used to be among the most revered hunters. He recounts stories of how when his father started his hunting expeditions, the whole village would come together to pray for his safe returns. His exploits were shared with the whole village and they were nothing less than feasts. They engaged in all kinds of game but they would never hunt an Amur Falcon. Gailanglung inherited the Barbet Totem, a clan that had the barbet as their spirit animal. They are bound to protect these birds and somehow this solidarity extended to the falcons too.

A bird shot down down using air gun near Guangram | Photo by Madhumay Mallik

Hunting wild meat had been the way of life for the tribals here and in other parts of North-Eastern India. However, massive campaigns for the protection of the Amur Falcons have been able to turn hunting communities into protectors. A 2013 RAP by Wildlife Trust of India in Nagaland’s Pangti had been able to bring down falcon killings to ‘zero’ from a massive 10,000+ a day. India is a signatory to the Convention of Migratory species and consequently is duty-bound to allow safe passage to the Amur falcons and this win reverbated globally.

Migrating flocks of Amur Falcons have often been called “ecosystems in the sky”. A shift in the roosting site of the Amur Falcons from Phalong village is already showing consequences. While there, the falcons would rid the farmlands of termites and other pests. Now that they are gone could be one of the reasons that the harvest has dwindled. People like Gailanglung understand this and though without a field of his own, he has been putting forward the urgency before the community.

Amur Falcon in flight over Guangram | Photo by Madhumay Mallik

Guangram is one of the two identified roosting sites in Manipur’s Tamenglong District. As I walked up the hill to the falcon groves, it was nothing short of magic. Lakhs of birds flying in a frenzied buzz and the air felt lighter. Looking up to the birds, I could see the happiness in the eyes of the Gailanglung. He could have easily been a hunter, but he has chosen not to. Bound by his love for the birds and the realisation that these are but visitors passing by, just requesting a safe passage, Gailanglung has vowed to turn things around.

For now, the falcon groves of Guangram are protected. But Gailanglung and his friends will not be able to do enough. Hunters from nearby village traverse across the landscape, all night and before morning, they are already in the markets. As Tamenglong and the Rainforest Club celebrate the 7th instalment of the Amur Falcon Festival, there is also a sense of despair. It is not impossible to revisit the success story of Pangti in Tamenglong, but we need to act now.