QUARRY NO MORE: A male wreathed hornbill perches at the entrance to his nest, ready to supply food to its occupants. COURTESY OF NATURE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
For Tajik Tachang, a member of the indigenous Nyishi tribe that lives in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India, the typical day begins at six o’clock in the morning. He and his companions walk ancestral trails through patches of jungle surrounding the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) in the undulating foothills of the eastern Himalayas. The tribesmen are looking for nests in the hollows of false hemp trees (Tetrameles nudiflora), but they’re not seeking to kill the birds that use these nests, as did their fathers and grandfathers. They want to save them.
“Our group quietly watches their activities from a safe distance,” Tajik says. “When we do find a nest, we mark the tree in red, with the initials of the species that ...
