Birds lured to commit suicide for filming

Guwahati: Famous for mysterious birds, Assam’s Jatinga village came into prominence once again on Oct. 22 when a film-maker allegedly offered money to villagers to turn the area into a mass killing field of birds for shooting a documentary.

Local wildlife activists said a Brazilian national, who visited the tribal village in Dima Hasao district, with a documentary filmmaker Ananda threatened lower rank forest staff, asking them to help them in shooting the phenomenon and claimed to have obtained permission from top officials.

Dismayed at the damage done to years of good work towards bird conservation in Jatinga, they have now urged the authorities concerned to take necessary action against the film-maker, who paid villagers to kill rare birds in hundreds merely to shoot a documentary.

Irate villagers said, “A foreigner had come to Jatinga a few days ago and offered cash to the boys to catch birds for him.” They said that strictest action should be taken against him. The forest department has already lodged an FIR with police in this regard.

Following regular awareness campaigns, the killing of birds in the village has decreased remarkably. However, the alleged incident has come as a shocker to bird lovers, animal rights activists and concerned citizens.

What is the phenomenon that is rate Jatinga alone? Tribals light up fire at various spots in Jatinga and hundreds of birds, of all sizes, colours and breeds, when they hover over the village fall automatically to the ground like moths to the flame. The tribals kill the birds when they are still in a dazed state. The bird-lovers say that this activity is observed during the moonless foggy winter evenings from September to October. Sources said, 200 to 300 foreign tourists come here to witness the mysterious phenomenon

Popularly referred to as the “bird mystery of Jatinga”, it has so far baffled scientists the world over and not without good reason, as it has not occurred anywhere else in the world.

Bogged down by cases of frequent killing of birds, wildlife activists had succeeded in arresting this practice of killing birds by educating the village youths for past few years.

Stating that birds of different species are migrating towards Jatinga and Tumbung villages, the activists said that birds are not only attracting tourists, but also becoming increasing the region’s economy hence it was necessary to ensure that the birds were protected.

Forest conservator, Halflong Range, Tuhin Langthasa said, “We received information that some people had killed some birds. On rushing to spot, we recovered the bodies of birds of various species scattered there, but the culprits had disappeared taking advantage of the darkness.

Dima Hasao deputy commissioner D.J. Hazarika, who visited Jatinga, has banned movement of people carrying sticks, nets among others used for trapping birds. He also banned use of flash, halogen and searchlights in the village.

Wildlife activists have partly succeeded in arresting the practice of killing hundreds of birds by educating the youths for the past few years.

Chief conservator of forests for three hill districts M.N. Durah said, “We are not sure how many birds have actually been killed in Jatinga in the past few days. With the evenings becoming foggy, more birds are rushing to the village, particularly getting attracted by bright lights, and miscreants are catching and killing them despite an awareness campaign we launched along with the village youth.” It is significant that this phenomenon is unique to Jatinga. The ornithologists say that in some parts of the world, people have been known to put bright lights in the path of migrating birds in order to capture them. But Jatinga is different. For one, these are no migrating birds.

Studies have established that the birds caught in Jatinga are local ones, which live between 10 and 15 km. Almost all birds are diurnal in nature — active by day and never move out of their nests at night. Studies have established that whatever the mysterious force that compels the birds to plunge such as lemmings to their death, it is believed there is a force that operates only at Jatinga, particularly on moonless nights between September and October.

There is a village 2 km north of Jatinga, which is ignored by the birds though villagers there have tried to lure them by lights on numerous occasions.

Because of the remoteness of the village, the bird mystery has so far remained confined to the village till as recently as 1957 when a British tea planter and ornithologist E.P. Gee visited Jatinga and laid out his findings in a book, ‘The Wildlife of India’ published it in the same year.

Mr Gee wrote, “The whole thing is extraordinary. It does not take place anywhere else except this spot. Lights have been put in other spots, but without success. Several conditions are necessary for the birds to come to Jatinga.”

Bird mystery
1. Fires are lit at various spots in Jatinga and hundreds of birds get attracted to the light and fall to the ground, singed by the fire. Tribals kill the birds when they are in a dazed state
2. Scientists the world over are baffled by the mystery and not without good reason, as it has not occurred anywhere else in the world
3. Birds of different species migrate towards Jatinga and Tumbung villages and the mystery not only is attracting tourists, but also increasing the region’s economy
According to sources, 200 to 300 foreign tourists come to Jatinga to witness the mysterious phenomenon.