Kohima: A football tournament in Meluri, Nagaland, recently shifted from sports to wildlife protection. Over 1,000 locals packed the Meluri Local Ground for the Pangolin Cup 2026. The event serves as a push to save the threatened Chinese Pangolin from illegal trade and hunting.
Tokaho Kinimi, the Divisional Forest Officer for Phek, addressed the crowd. He labeled the pangolin a defenseless creature unable to survive current poaching pressures. "It is therefore our responsibility to protect them," Kinimi stated during the event.
The Wildlife Trust of India led educational sessions for 620 students at St Xavier’s School and Christian Higher Secondary School. These sessions included lectures and drawing contests. The tournament was backed by the Nagaland Forest Department, the Pangolin Crisis Fund, and the Serenity Trust.
Community leaders emphasized deep cultural ties to the animal. Makezho, of the Yimkhiung Tribal Council, noted how his ancestors used the patterns on pangolin scales in traditional prayers. The Pochury Hoho also committed to formal resolutions for wildlife protection. WTI Manager Saymanti B pointed to the success of similar efforts in Manipur, where 242 villages previously adopted strict fines to stop the hunting of pangolins, hornbills, and gibbons.
Winning team captain Atsiatho Nyuthe pledged to apply the discipline of football to conservation. Local performers including the Meluri Area Public Organisation and various village artists provided entertainment at the closing. The WTI now runs a project to block trafficking across the Indo-Myanmar border by mixing enforcement training with local community engagement.
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