Wednesday 4 July 2018
Monday 2 July 2018
Migratory bird (Shiri) visit increases manifold, leave Ukhrul district ahead of departure time by Mungchan Zimik
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| Migratory bird Shiri (Grey Sided Thrush) |
The migratory birds which originated from Siberia were sighted at around early 1970s in the Shirui mountain ranges and the poaching & trapping of this migratory Shiri birds became so popular and turns into conventional customary practices of many villages because of its peculiar taste and delicacies as stated by the native villagers.
This particular migratory bird swarm in the Shirui mountain range in Ukhrul district in the winter looking for food, mainly the tree seed of Leihao (Magnalia Champaca tree) locally known as Shirung thei.
The birds start to flock the dense forest from the first week of December onwards till January end. But this year the migratory birds have started leaving Shirui mountain range early, unlike previous years.
Although, there was sufficient Shirung thei ( Leihao seed) in the forest yet the Migratory birds started to leave the district early possibly due to environmental disturbances of extensive hunting carried out by the villager and destroying of their habitation or shelter for wanton selling of the birds flesh at Ukhrul market for its delicacies and demands.
It might be mentioned that the Shirui mountain range forest area covers approximately 20 square kilometres, where the Migratory birds came looking for food in this dense forest of abundant Leihao trees. This whole territory was declared as protected Shirui reserve forest by the Manipur government 20 years back. This reserve forest covered the adjoining neighbouring area villages like Khangkhui, Zingsui, Mapum, Lunghar etc.
The migratory birds flock into this notified territory of protected forest yet their is uncontrolled and merciless open hunting or trapping of the bird. It may be mentioned that the declared protected Shirui forest is just 25 kilometres away from district headquarter, Ukhrul. At the same time Shirui hill is also the abode of state flower Shirui Lily where it flourish as the only natural habitat.
The area villagers, observing the huge increase in the number of the migratory bird in the Shirui mountain range, carried out extensive hunting, killing the migratory birds in thousands for consumption and selling in the market. Moreover Shiri is a preferred food item for the people in Ukhrul district.
The hunters use anything they can lay their hands on, ranging from catapult, air gun, SBBL rifle and the locally made adhesive 'Nei' which is used to trap the birds.Nei is prepared from the fruits of a particular tree found atop the Shirui mountain range.
During a brief interaction with some of the native villagers, Ami said that Shiri bird have three varieties (Shiri Mapom, Shiri Khakazek and Shiri Luishi) among which Shiri Mapom was the biggest while Shiri Khakazek lead in the migration of the birds as observed during migration.
The Shirui mountain range covers Shirui, Khangkhui Khunou, Khangkhui Khullen, Sihai, Mapum, Lunghar, Zingsui, Khamasom etc, where the migratory bird Shiri takes shelter during the winter for short vacation.Leihao tree (Magnolia champaca) grow thickly on this mountain range and so do other fruit bearing trees.
It is the fruits of these trees that Shiri comes to feed as nourishing diet for the birds to grow healthy.
According to some of the hunters, after feeding on the seed fruit of Leihao the birds drink water from the nearby stream and it is while drinking water that the bird can be easily trapped using the local adhesive Nei.
This year, the number of Shiri was so huge that a hunter could collect 300 or more birds from a particular area on a single day. Another Shiri hunter, Zimik ( name changed) said he managed to shoot at least 70 Shiris this year using his catapult or air gun.
Trading of this migratory bird becomes a very popular and lucrative job for many of them to earn income.They mentioned that they could manage to sell Shiri at the rate of Rs 100 per bird.
Another villager name Athar could manage to trap the migratory birds as many as he could in a way of conventional trapping method called " Raphit kasang". He could manage to trap more than 100 birds. He further adds that in a week, he could earned more than Rs 7000 by selling the birds.
Not surprisingly, the indiscriminate killing of the migratory bird for the table and the deforestation of Shirui mountain range has drastically reduced the population of the migratory bird in a short span of its vacation at Ukhrul.
Another peculiar development is the point that the migratory bird has left the mountain range earlier than the normal departure time. Usually Shiri leaves the place by the last week of January but this year they have started leaving earlier, said the villagers.
According to Tharmi, Shiri departure is very unique and symbolic for them. Usually prior to her leaving of Shirui hills, mild shower marks its departure, after which Shiri will no more be visible in the forest area.
In an interaction to a woman who sell the migratory bird door to door in Ukhrul town, she asserted that there were no restrictions from the Forest department although she cross in forest check point in the midway carrying the birds. She stated that it was preferred by all. She further mentioned that none of the villages were sensitized on wildlife protection or killing of wild animals by the Forest department and importance of wild life preservation is ignorant for them.
Until there are specific rules and regulations to ban using of airgun in the district, the trend of drastic reduction of birds population will remain the same.
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