(delhibirdpix) The Mishmi Experience

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to share a little incident that happened at Mishmi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh. Over our 3 day stay there, we say countless people with guns and catapults and had come to realize that hunting is a way of life there. We had long discussions on the same and also agreed that it is completely OK since it has been a means of survival for the locals for centuries. 

The forest birds there are terribly spooked of human presence and many of the larger birds like hornbills and pheasants have become a declining rarity. Photographing anything at Mishmi is a challenge. Not only is the wildlife terrified of humans but the visibility is almost always poor and the birds very fast. Inspite of all this, a 15 year old kid took exactly one shot to knock this black bulbul right off the very top of the canopy. When we asked him details, he said that this would be lunch of his family.

We noticed that women carry a basket on their back on their way to the market to buy veggies and gather whatever they find on the way too. Their husbands walk alongside with guns incase of the rare chance to get some meat. They young children all carry catapults to try to hit a bird or two and the teens all go biking with a rifle to try to shoot mammals or large birds at higher altitudes where human presence is much less coz of the low temperatures. 

How much ever we tried to find flaws in this pattern, we could not. Considering the amount of destruction we cause to forests simply by living the lifestyle we do in cities, it would be hypocritical to criticize a nomadic family hunting for a meal as they have for generations. The only twitch I personally felt was for the loss of species like hornbills and pheasants. Wonder if it would be possible to make certain areas of Mishmi open for hunting for the locals and close off higher altitudes and sensitive regions in order to prevent the extinction of the last few rarities that remain there.

 

-Cheers,
Rohan

Follow birding activity in and around Pune at:-  http://groups.google.com/group/punebirds

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