The City-dweller and the Tiger: Activity Update July 2014: Navegaon-Nagzira

Team:

Mukund Dhurve – Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam - Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve – Field assistant

Highlights

· Joined Forest Department staff on 3 night patrols and 3 day patrols

· Satpuda Foundation celebrated Global Tiger Day in programme at Mangezari organized jointly with Forest Department

· 1 programme to clean water hole in the buffer area of Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in compartment no. 97

· Tree plantation programmes at Mangezari and Bolunda – around 200 saplings planted

· 3 community assistance voluntary work projects – programmes to clean areas next to hand pumps at Mangezari, Govindtola, Bagadband

· Organized 12 medical camps at which 430 patients got free treatment

Conservation

Our team organized 3 community assistance programmes in July.

On July 1, we organized a programme to clear the area around a hand pump at Bagadband in which 5 people, including unemployed youths and school students, participated. A similar programme was organized on July 8 at Bagadband to clean the area around another hand pump. 6 people joined Mukund and Salimkumar in this programme.

Bagadband: clearing plastic litter around the hand pump

Another programme was organized on July 30 at Govindtola to clean the area around a hand pump. 5 youths from the village joined Jivraj and Mukund in this programme.

In all the three places water had spilled over while people drew water and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of mosquitoes and insects. Organic litter had also accumulated around the hand pumps. Our teams cleared the areas, removing scum and organic growth and dug canals to drain away the water.

Our team joined the Forest Department in day and night patrols on the road from Mangezari to Kodebarra and Mangezari to Jindatola on July 9 and July 19. Power cables run on poles erected by the side of the road. In the past, there have been instances of poaching on this road when poachers used hooks and wires to draw power from the cables and killed animals by electrocution. Sometimes, wires are drawn several hundred meters into the jungle from the cables. At least one gaur and one leopard have been killed over the past year, using this method. Besides our staff, volunteers from the youth club at Mangezari also joined in the patrols.

Forest guards Aswale (left) and Kahudkar (centre) on patrol with
our team in Compartment 97

Volunteers on night patrol on Navegaon-Jindatola road

During the month, we also organized 1 programme to clean a water hole adjoining a hand pump in Compartment 97. The water body was clogged with organic litter and dust. Our teams removed the litter and de-silted the water body.

On July 29, Global Tiger Day, Satpuda Foundation organized a programme at Mangezari which was attended by 56 villagers. Range Forest Officer (Nagzira Range) Shri Wade, Assistant Conservator of Forests Shri Khandate, Forest Guard Kahudkar, Zilla Parishad Vice-President Mr. Madan Patle and Sarpanch of Mangezari Smt. Anusayabai Kumbhare spoke to the gathering about the current state of the environment and tigers.

They explained to the villagers what individuals could do at their level to reduce their impact on environmental degradation and how to help protect tigers. On the occasion, the Forest Department issued a cheque of Rs.50, 000/- each to the Village Eco-Development Committees (VEDC) of Mangezari, Kodebarra and Thadezari.

Global Tiger Day celebrated at our field office. Zilla Parishad ex-Member
Vijay Rane addresses the gathering

Our Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve speaks to the gathering on
Global Tiger Day

After the speeches, a plantation programme was done in which around 50 saplings of neem, bakan, kadam, bhel and bahava were planted. The saplings were supplied free of cost by the Social Forestry wing. In another programme, on July 30, around 150 saplings were planted at Adilok High School in Bolunda in a programme organized by us. These saplings were also provided by the Social Forestry wing.