Umrangso, October 31, 2015: The town of Umrangso in Assam witnessed two days that had fun, music and dance written all over it. The town got together to celebrate the first ever two day Falcon Festival organised by Blue Hills Society and supported by Assam Forest Department, 38 Assam Rifles, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)- India and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). The festival was held from October 31 to November 1, 2015, and saw participation of people from all ages.

The event was held at Karbi Club ground in Umrangso to raise awareness about Amur falcons (Falco amurensis) that roost near the scenic Kopli reservoir in large numbers. These falcons breed in south-eastern ?‎Siberia? and Northern ?China? before migrating in large flocks across ?India? and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern ?Africa.

Devendra Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Assam, was the Chief Guest while OP Pandey, PCCF (Wildlife), Assam, was the Guest of Honour. They were accompanied by Joint Director, Department of Tourism, and other dignitaries including local leaders and student leaders and school students. Dr Jahan Ahmed, WTI veterinarian was also invited as a guest. The event kick started with unfurling of the National flag by Mr Devendra Kumar after which the national anthem was played by the Assam Rifles band. Thereafter, all the guests were felicitated by the organizers.

Welcome speech was given by Mr Josinghradao Phonglo, General Secretary, Blue Hills Society, and it was followed by speech from the Joint Director, Department of Tourism.
In their speeches, the guests highlighted the good work done by Blue Hills Society, CAF-India and WTI as part of a Rapid Action Project (RAP) and the immense potential for eco-tourism in Umrangso. WTI’s Dr Jahan Ahmed spoke on the hard work being done to make Umrangso a success story. He stressed on how the killings have gone down drastically due to intervention of locals and other conservation organisations. During the course of the celebrations, there was a pipe band performance by the 38 Assam Rifles along with the Karbi and Dimasa traditional dance. Renowned DJs and bands like Celestial Sphere, Sot Recho, Maestro and Soul Tree performed at the event. The venue also had stalls from the 38 Assam Rifles, Dimasa tribe, among others.

After the successful campaign on the conservation of Amur falcons in Wokha, Nagaland, WTI-CAF-India in partnership with Haflong-based Blue Hills Society has initiated a Rapid Action Project (RAP) to protect Amur falcons (falco amurensis) near Umrangso, Dima Hasao District, Assam. Umrangso shot into limelight when several reports from the region confirmed hunting of these beautiful birds in large numbers for their meat.

“This became a serious cause of concern for WTI which had played a pivotal role in mobilising communities in Nagaland in their commitment of not hunting Amur falcons. The WTI-Blue Hills project immediately swung into action and has been successful in bringing down the hunting of Amur falcons in Umrangso as compared to previous years,” said Dr Jahan Ahmed.

One of WTI’s oldest initiatives, RAP was activated to enable quick response to wildlife emergencies across the country. Through the RAPs, WTI extends support to individuals or grassroots organisations with proven credibility, and works closely with the government to implement short and medium-term interventions to address urgent or critical conservation needs across the country.

This division addresses a wide range of conservation issues and facilitates the implementation of innovative projects including species and habitat protection, conflict mitigation and management, wildlife rehabilitation, poaching, trade control, awareness, among others. Working through collaborations, this division helps overcome the spatial and temporal limitations to reach help where and when it is needed the most. Support is provided in the form of funds, expertise, equipment, etc, as required by the implementing agencies or individuals. Through these conservation-oriented collaborations, it also attempts to set up a country-wide network of reliable individuals and agencies involved in wildlife conservation for mobilisation during emergencies. It is non-bureaucratic, rapid in implementation, and can react to requests, if required, within 24 hours.