From Hunters to Protectors: Jessami Village Conservation Success Story

Jessami Village

Jessami Village would have been another lesser-known village in India, with a population of approximately 4000 people, but what made this village special is the fact that it is situated in the Indo-Burma birding corridor. This zone is as essential as it is threatened. The history of Jessami village lies as proof of the threat it faces. Tekru-nge is an important 10-day celebration of the village, where on the second day of the sanctification ceremony, males used to hunt the birds. The feathers of these birds were used in headgear during the celebrations, and titles were being awarded to people who hunted the most birds. 

The situation depleted so rapidly that by 2021, Mrs Hume’s pheasant, which is the state bird of Manipur, had made it to the IUCN threatened species list even when the village council of Jessami had banned the hunting of any animal back in 2018. It was then that the village council contacted the media and reported ‌the sighting of Mrs Hume’s pheasant in Jessami. Once Jessami gained popularity, the idea of the establishment of a reserve for this community-operated forest was proposed. The vision was to include the locals and divert their hunting techniques into ways to spot the birds. 

Finally, in 2023, Jessami Hume’s Pheasant Community Reserve was established. The locals contributed, and with the setting up of camera traps, a variety of animals were spotted. Rituals changed, and over the years, Tekru-nge evolved to be the celebration of reserve. The people of Jessami turned from hunters to protectors, setting a perfect example of community-based bird protection. The Global Wildlife Fair supports and celebrates the initiatives by Jessami Village people and their larger contribution in bringing about a positive change not only in the faunal climate of Jessami Village biodiversity, but also in the Manipur wildlife conservation efforts.