HAFLONG, Oct 23 - Brisk preparations are under way to celebrate the second edition of Falcon Festival 2016, which will be held at Umrangso in Dima Hasao district on October 27, said Kulendra Daulagupu of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council.
Falcon Festival was first organised last year to create awareness as well as to protect migratory birds like Amur Falcons, which make a brief stopover at Umrangso for about one-and-a-half months in October-November during their annual seasonal flight from Siberia to South Africa, apart from promoting tourism in Dima Hasao district.
Daulagupu also disclosed that State Minister for Forest and Environment Pramila Rani Brahma has given her consent to grace the occasion as the chief guest.
Amur falcon is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern and northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in South Africa. Umrangso is an industrial town in the district.
Earlier, these birds were being killed for consumption, but following the initiative taken by the Forest Department of Dima Hasao, besides several NGOs, including Blue Hills Society, the killing of these avians has come down drastically and the local people today seem to be more interested in welcoming their arrival.
