Church comes to the rescue of Amur falcons

Kohima: Church officials are quoting chapter and verse from the holy Scriptures to prevent hunting of the endangered bird of prey, the Amur Falcon in Nagaland.
Special sermons were given by the church pastors quoting relevant verses from the Holy Bible enshrining the concept of wise stewardship towards all creations of God.
This comes in response to ‘Save Amur Falcon devotional service and signature campaign’ launched by Wokha District Forest Division which has been extended to several churches of Sungro, Englan and Sanis ranges encircling Doyang reservoir during last Sunday’s devotional service after last campaign in the Pangti, Sungro and Aasha villages.
According to sources, though the hunting problem occurred mostly in Pangti village of Sungro range last year, other villages and ranges not only act as markets but also possible alternate roosting habitats for the bird. Not taking any chances this year and following landscape approach, the Forest Department has extended the awareness programme to whole area surrounding Doyang reservoir.
Last Sunday, Pastor Ellis Lotha of Thillong Baptist Church guided the programme.
“Owing to important role played by apex predator in the ecosystem, Chapter 11 of Leviticus in The Holy Bible clearly prohibits consumption of ‘Birds of Prey’ like falcons,” he said while addressing a huge gathering of ‘England Range Youth Sports Ministry cum Crusade’. “But it should not be interpreted as a grant to destroy already precarious wildlife in the Nagaland. We should abide by the law for protection of whole wildlife,” he added.
Pastor Zamben Kithan of Yikhum Baptist Church mentioned that the migratory bird comes from Mongolia-Siberia, “which was the land of our ancestors according to cultural songs and that is reason enough to get attached to the bird emotionally.
After reaching out to the people through different mediums like churches, schools, and village councils, the Wokha Forest Division with Pangti Village Students’ Union will be reaching out to the youth of the Sungro range by organising ‘The Save Amur Falcon Marathon’ with attractive cash prizes to be held in Pangti village on October 19 (Saturday) at 0700 hrs. Mathew, President of the union, has appealed to Sungro range people of all age classes for participation and making the marathon a success. (UNI)