Seijosha, January 19, 2015: The most awaited Pakke Paga Festival started on traditional notes at Seijosha, Arunachal Pradesh. Takam Pario, Minister, Public Health Engineering Department, Arunachal Pradesh was the Chief Guest and inaugurated the festival. The talking point of the festival has been the 8-feet hornbill inflatable installed by Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department-IFAW-WTI.

Organised by Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, Ghora Abhe Society and Village Forest Development Council with support from local communities, the festival has become a major tourist destination. The three-day festival is supported by the NGOs — Nature Conservation Foundation, International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India, Corbett Foundation, Help, Balipara Foundation, among several others. It is also supported by student organisations from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Emphasising on the conservation initiatives of Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department and other NGOs working towards hornbill conservation in the state, Mr. Pario said, “Wildlife in Seijosa is very rich and we need to protect all the species for future generations. I also hope that if we can save the wildlife in the foothills, it will help in generating eco-tourism potentialities in this part of the state.” The Chief Guest appreciated the tourists’ fervour for Pakke Tiger Reserve.

A major tourist attraction, the 8-feet Hornbill inflatable at the festival is to raise awareness amongst the local communities on the need to conserve this beautiful bird. A traditional symbol of manhood and vigour, the hornbill beak-adorned headgear has been worn by Nyishi men for centuries. However, the increasing demand drastically affected the hornbill species found in the state, and also threatened hornbills in nearby states as people began purchasing the beaks.

It is then that IFAW-WTI intervened and came up with the idea of distributing artificial hornbill beaks amongst the Nyishi community in the early 2000s. “Following an early success of the initiative, in 2004, the implementers along with Nyishi Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society organised training on synthetic beak fabrication for 20 local artisans, for sustainability,” said Sunil Kyarong, Deputy Director and Regional Head, WTI. Since then IFAW-WTI has been organising several awareness campaigns and training on synthetic beak fabrication for the locals. And the hornbill inflatable is one of those initiatives.

The Pakke Paga Festival, the first of its kind event in Seijosa, showcases the conservation initiatives of all leading NGOs and socio-cultural groups supporting the conservation efforts in the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh. The organisers hope that this journey will be a huge success in the long run and becomes a calendar event in the south-western landscape of Arunachal Pradesh.

Emphasizing on the Assam-Arunachal relationship, Takam Nabam, the Secretary, of the Pakke Paga Festival said, “We have to conserve the nature and wildlife of Arunachal Pradesh. I hope the good relation between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will strengthen the conservation initiative in both the states.”