Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Jan 11: The 3rd edition of the Pakke Paga Festival (PPF) is set to be celebrated at Seijosa in East Kameng district from 18-20 January.
“The only wildlife-based festival of the state, the three-day event will be celebrated with the theme, ‘Celebrating with nature’. It is aimed at promoting conservation of wildlife, particularly the hornbill,” said Festival Secretary Basang Wage at a press conference here on Thursday.
Hornbill nest adoption will be one of the major attractions during the festival, Wage said.
“Ever since conservation of hornbill started in the area, conservators are adopting hornbill nests,” he said. “There are 16 nest protectors or guards employed by the adopters.”
Wage said the idea behind having the great Indian hornbill as the mascot of the festival was that, out of five hornbill species, four are found in the Pakke-Tiger Reserve – the great Indian hornbill, the wreathed hornbill, the Oriental pied hornbill, and the Rufous-necked hornbill.
“The aim of the festival is not only to celebrate but also to spread the message of wildlife conservation across India,” he added.
Apart from other activities, bird-watching, trekking, elephant safari, butterfly walk, and wildlife photography will be the attractions of the festival.
