Kohima: A research carried out by the Delhi-based NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) in Thanamir village under Kiphire district of Nagaland, in collaboration with national organisations to research and the protectors of the wildlife community forest, have found a host of rare and endangered wildlife in the forests.
According to a press release issued by the WPSI informed that the residents of Thanamir village lying in the shadow of Mount Saramati (3,842 m), the State’s highest peak, this region is the ancestral homeland of Yimkhiung (Yimchunger) Naga tribe, have detected the wild animals in the community forest by using camera traps by the WPSI by learning automatic cameras to study the lives of wild animals.
As part of the project, some Thanamir residents have teamed up with the WPSI to use ‘camera traps’ to capture of pictures of the rich wildlife that inhabit roughly 65-square-kilometres of Thanamir community forests.
These camera traps have captured thousands of pictures showing the rich wildlife that inhabit Thanamir forests. Some of the animals photographed through these camera traps included the elusive clouded leopards, Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak deer), Asiatic back bears, packs of dhole (Asiatic wild dog), stumped-tailed macaques and several other animals, many of which are globally endangered.
The State bird of Nagaland, the Blyth’s Tragopan, has also been photographed using the camera traps in these forest areas. They have documented over 220 bird species in the forest after practicing for months with the help of outside experts and now feel confident to independently conduct bird surveys and the study of birds as they migrate through the seasons.
There are currently over 400 community conserved areas across Nagaland, the highest of any state in the country, and the efforts made my local communities to protect their forests, must be acknowledged, supported and appreciated. The project will also integrate socio-ecological data, which will be used by the local council and student union to co-develop plans that prioritise both wildlife populations and community well-being, the release said.
