Volunteers of Hakhize village releasing the satellite tagged Amur Falcon in the village on November 10.

Dimapur, November 10: As a sign of appreciating the efforts of Hakhizhe village in conserving Amur falcons, the satellite tagged bird named after the village ‘Hakhizhe’ was released in the village on November 10. Hakhizhe village under Niuland sub-division in Dimapur took up conservation efforts three years ago in order to provide safe passage to the migratory Amur falcon which come in lakhs to roost in nearby plantations. The conservation effort has been accredited to the village volunteers towards achieving this feat.

The tagging was done by Dr. R Sureshkumar, scientist of Wildlife Institute of India, in association with four Hungarian scientists belonging to Birdlife Hungary who are internationally known for Falcon projects. The project is funded by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. It is implemented in association with Department of Forests, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Nagaland.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. R Sureshkumar praised the efforts of the Hakhizhe villagers in conservation and spoke about the eco-tourism potential of the place for bird watching and birds photography. During the event, he invited the villagers, especially children and women among them, to release the birds to appreciate their efforts for achieving this success.

On the occasion, Satyaprakash Tripathi, Chief Wildlife Warden of Nagaland, congratulated the villagers in their efforts towards conserving Amul Falcon. Officers from the State government and representatives from other organisations were present on the occasion. Kakheto, president of JFMC Hakhize village, in his vote of thanks, acknowledged the Niuland Range Office and Dimapur Forest Division for extending possible assistance in order to achieve the success.