Meluri Town FC win Pangolin Cup 2026 as football brings pangolin conservation awareness to Nagaland.
DIMAPUR — Meluri Town FC emerged champions of the second edition of the Pangolin Cup 2026, defeating Knight Riders Club from neighbouring Phek district in a six-day football tournament held at Meluri Local Ground.
The tournament featured eight local teams competing for the trophy, with the winners receiving INR 1,00,000, along with medals and certificates for all players, according to an update.
The Pangolin Cup was initiated in 2025 in Senapati, Manipur, under the Wildlife Trust of India’s (WTI) Countering Pangolin Trafficking project along the Indo-Myanmar border. The second edition was hosted by the Meluri Range Sports Association (MRSA), with support from the Nagaland Forest Department, Pangolin Crisis Fund and Serenity Trust.
Tokaho Kinimi, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Phek, highlighted the importance of pangolins in maintaining ecological balance and expressed concern over their declining numbers due to illegal wildlife trade.
He appreciated WTI’s collaboration with the Forest Department and MRSA, urging communities to take collective responsibility for protecting the threatened species.
Highlighting the cultural significance of pangolins, Makezho, Executive Chairman of the Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC), said the Yimkhiung tribe has maintained a close relationship with the species for generations.
He recalled how ancestors drew inspiration from the overlapping patterns of pangolin scales in traditional prayers and beliefs, particularly during years of poor rock bee honey harvests. He appealed to the Naga community to unite in conserving pangolins and other wildlife.
Alongside the tournament, the WTI team conducted drawing competitions, lectures and interactive workshops, reaching approximately 620 students from St. Xavier’s School and Christian Higher Secondary School.
Saymanti B, Manager of WTI, highlighted the impact of community participation since the organisation began its conservation work in Manipur in 2023.
She said the Tangkhul Naga community, comprising 242 villages, had adopted resolutions to protect pangolins and introduced fines for offences against the species. The conservation efforts subsequently extended to hornbills and gibbons.
She also expressed gratitude to Pochury Hoho for its resolution and commitment towards pangolin conservation.
Monesh Singh Tomar, WTI Project Lead, said the tournament had provided an opportunity to spread conservation awareness through football, attracting more than 1,000 locals over six days. He expressed hope that the enthusiasm generated by the tournament would translate into meaningful community-led conservation action.
Speaking on behalf of the players, winning team captain Atsiatho Nyuthe said the Pangolin Cup was more than a football tournament, serving as a platform to raise awareness about wildlife conservation.
He said the values of discipline, leadership, teamwork and respect learned through football should also guide efforts to protect threatened species such as pangolins.
WTI’s Countering Pangolin Trafficking Project along the Indo-Myanmar border aims to strengthen wildlife crime enforcement and collaboration with local communities through awareness programmes and public engagement initiatives, including the Pangolin Cup. The project also works with various ethnic communities while building the capacity of enforcement officials.