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Monday, February 07, 2011

Chp 336. RIP - Zika

Just heard the shocking news this morning from my sister – Zika, a hornbill that had become a family to so many people, was brutally murdered on February 1st, 2010. The news of his death became public this morning, casting a dark shadow over my locality.

Zika was not just another hornbill. He was extremely smart, friendly and not at all intimidated by humans. He frequented my locality (Chaltlang) a lot and everybody called out his name whenever they saw him, right from the smallest children to the oldest grandpa. In fact, many people who visited my locality would hope to see if they were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Zika in action.

He was extremely popular because, after all, you don’t see any hornbills in the city, and even if you do, they’ll fly away immediately due to their natural instinct. Zika on the other hand, would directly approach you, look at you questioningly as if he’s trying to cheer you up in case you were feeling down, or just give you company because he thought you’re lonely. That is Zika.

He would fly from house to house, and everywhere he flew, people would feed him or chat with him. He would listen to you attentively, and at the same time he loved the attention he was getting from everyone.

He would watch people play football and sometimes even try to take part in the game whenever the ball was kicked in the air. He would greet school children going to school and sometimes even looked like he was trying to help them cross the busy dawrkawn road. And sometimes he would just sit at Chaltlang (dawrkawn) bus stand, greeting people who got down from the bus, as if say, “Welcome to Chaltlang”. Yes, and sometimes he would actually travel with the people inside buses or taxis!

He was truly the people’s bird.

Here is a video I took of him just barely a month ago. I did a little editing on the video and sound. I can’t believe he is no more…




According to report from The Aizawl Post newspaper, around a week ago, Zika flew to Zemabawk, a neighboring locality. He usually doesn’t venture that far from Chaltlang but this time, I guess he wanted to explore the area a bit more.

When people from Zemabawk locality saw him, the community leaders immediately announced on public loudspeakers that the bird was not to be harmed in anyway.

But then, when Zika didn’t come home to his owner’s house, Pu Zairema Sailo from Laipuitlang locality, for almost a week, they started having a bad feeling. Zika always return home and was not the type to run fly away from home or spend the night someplace else.

So when the owner started looking for him, they eventually discovered that two people from Zemabawk who apparently did not hear the announcement on the public loudspeaker saw him… and killed him.

As of today, the two culprits are booked and face possible imprisonment of 3-7 years as the hornbill is under Schedule animal 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

I really don’t wanna talk about how he died. It’s too painful. I feel sad to know we’re going to miss such an iconic bird. And I feel sorry for my two nieces and so many other children of my locality who have looked up to this bird as their role model and hero – A mascot of hope.

RIP Zika.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zika hi chu ka ui ngawt mai. Ka hnuk a tiulh tak zet a ni.

Anonymous said...

Never knew the ol' bird, but I'm surprised that there are still ignorant people who need to kill every living thing they see, not for the meat or anything else but just because they can, leave alone the State Bird, the thing that identifies us.
No matter how technologically advanced we think we are, we still have an inherent need for unnecessary and wanton violence. Make an example of the friggin' culprits!

Anonymous said...

Recently there's a new shop (our kind) in that/your locality. when ever i finish my work out there, we use to watch him fly around and enjoy every moves he makes. Although i'm not that much familiar like you most people do, but right from the moment i saw him, i fell in love with him.

Ignorance is bliss but not always!! :-(


- wonderboy

odzer said...

Thanks for posting this video, I can see that he was a very special bird. I know its probably very different but there is a feral cat here that comes to us often and we have shared some very happy moments with it. We had construction workers over at home and so I shifted upstairs for a while and it did not see me for 2 months and then one day it came and sort of complained a lot. That's how animals are, we bond with them and they bond with us. Sorry for your loss dude.

Pixie said...

OMG!!
Im so sorry... RIP.
People can be so cruel and ignorant...
he seems to have been special.. hugs!

luliana said...

A pawi ka ti khawp mai!!! Nikum lam khan ram pawn lam atanga kan mikhual pakhat nen dawrkawnah kan hmu hlauh mai a, hmuhnawm a tiin mak a ti khawp asin!!

daniel said...

RIP Zika.
Remids me of when I was a boy and fantasised about having a pet bird sit on my shoulder, bit like Long John Silver of Treasure Island.

daniel said...

RIP Zika.
Remids me of when I was a boy and fantasised about having a pet bird sit on my shoulder, bit like Long John Silver of Treasure Island.

caribou said...

Ramsa duat leh hmangaih nachang hria kan tam ve ta. Chutihlaiin hmangaihna mita thlir ngai reng reng lo kan va la tam tak em. "A sa a tui ang chu aw....A chek tuihang a tui ang chu aw," tih chiah hmanga ramsa mitmei thin kan la tam lutuk hi a pawi a ni. Nasa lehzuala awareness neih a va tul tak em. Ramsa zaidam, ramsa nunnem leh pawisawi lo, min tina ve ngailo te hi kan suat zo tak ngial dawn anih hi. Tan lak a tul khawp mai.

kc said...

Really? That Hornbill died? I didn't know. It's so sad, I liked seeing him when I come round to Chaltlang...:(

Anonymous said...

A kaphlumtute hi KEINI angin an la fing lutuk lo aniang nge !

Sava sa ei duh miah lo khan, sava veh hi nuam ka ti hle thin. Sapelh leh sa chan te pawh. Kei ngei pawh hian, nungcha te chunga ngilnei chungchang te, tunlai mithiamte thlirna tam tak hi tunhnu chauh hian ani ka hriat ve tak tak ni.

ZIKA thihna pawh hian mipui nawlpui te rilruah rahtha achhuah ka ring.

Video te i lo nei thlap chu atha kher mai. Hotupa.

Jerusha said...

Zika's death was soo shocking and so terribly sad! I remember the first time I saw him, I'd just come back to Aizawl, on my way home from the airport and I saw him from the car perched on that little foot path near Pu Vanhlira's house. I was so shocked to see such a big bird sitting there, and I could see the pride with which my driver said 'Oh..that's Zika' almost bragging, and told me how popular he was. As sad as this whole mess is, I do have hope that this will be a big step towards us Mizo people getting to know and love animals/birds more. R.I.P Zika

Jerusha said...

* Pu Vanhela :) My bad

marvinic said...

Tunlaiah Silai nilo in..Camera in mite chuan an veh tawh asin...ka hnuk a ulh tlat mai.....

Mos-a said...

I always knew you liked "birds" :D

Zika hi vawi 4 vel chu ka hmu ve tawh... hmuhnawm ka ti lutuk a mahse midang khan mak pawh kha an ti em em lova a hnu fe ah Zika hi ani tih ka hre ve chiah. RIP Zika

Mizohican said...

Thank you for all your comments and support. Zika will always live (and fly) in our hearts forever.

Roshni said...

Thanks for the post. Met chika (thats what i thought the name was) in a tea shop at Chanmari. Felt a range of contradictory emotions ....

I'd almost forgotten that Zika has since been a constant image on the sidebar of my blog

Saddened / angered by the brutal end...wondering about Zika's take on life in Chaltlang.... RIP

Nimesh Ved said...

was stunned the first time i saw her from the saiha sumo that came to drop me at the tourist lodge at chaltlang ... another day took her images and pestered people of where she came from and what she did ... had the urge to see her each time i went to chaltlang ... today feel a strange sadness ... http://mizoram-samrakshan.blogspot.com/2010/09/they-say-she-is-smart.html

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