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

Team:

Mukund Dhurve – Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam - Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve – Field assistant

Highlights

· Joined Forest Department staff on 4 night patrols and 4 day patrols

· 2 community assistance voluntary work projects – programmes to clean areas next to hand pumps at Govindtola, Jindatola

· 1 programme to clean water hole in the buffer area of Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in compartments no. 109, 110

· 7 programmes to plant saplings at Mangezari, Bolunda, Kodebarra, Kuradi, Pindkepar, Wadegaon, Kodelohara- total of 260 saplings planted

· 7 programmes to demonstrate making of eco-friendly Ganesha idols

· 7 awareness programmes on snake bites

· Organized 6 medical camps at which 200 patients got free treatment

Conservation

Plastic litter collected during a drive in Mangezari

Our team organized 2 community assistance programmes in August.

On August 3, we organized a programme to clear the area around a hand pump at Mangezari in which 7 people, including unemployed youths and school students, participated. A similar programme was organized on August 23 at Jindatola to clean the area around a hand pump. 8 people joined Mukund and Salimkumar in this programme.

In both places, water had spilled over while people drew from the hand pumps and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of mosquitoes and insects. 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 August 7, August 25 and 26. 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 a youth club at Mangezari also joined in the patrols. The youth club was set up with our assistance and is mentored by Mukund Dhurve.

Night patrol on the Mangezari-Kodebarra route

Night patrol on the Mangezari-Jindatola route

On August 22, we also patrolled in Compartments 109, 110. Photos below.

During the month, we also organized one programme to clean a water hole in Compartments 109 and 110. The water body was clogged with organic litter and dust. Our team removed the litter and de-silted the water body.

Cleaning a waterhole in Compartment 110

Ganesha Chaturthi is a festival which is widely celebrated across India. In this festival, people bring home idols of Lord Ganesha and offer prayers to the idols. After a few days, the idols are removed and immersed in the nearest water body. Many idols are machine made and are made of synthetic materials and colours. When these are immersed in water bodies, they pollute the water and cause great harm to the water and the organisms living in the water. As part of our work, we encourage people to celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly manner, by making idols purely of clay or mud and using colours made of natural materials.

The festival started on August 29.

In the run-up to the festival, Mukund organized 7 programmes in various schools to promote the celebration of the festival in an eco-friendly manner. Details are given in the table above.

Demonstrating making eco-friendly clay Ganeshas to students of GES Girls
High School, Kuradi

Another demonstration at Adilok High School, Bolunda

A similar demonstration at ZP High School, Mangezari

During August, our team organized 4 awareness programmes on snakes and snake bites. During the monsoon, snakes come out of their pits as these get flooded and there is greater occurrence of humans being bitten by snakes. Our awareness programmes focussed on teaching villagers how to identify venomous and non-venomous snakes. We also explained to the villagers what to do when bitten by snake. Details of the programmes are given in the table above.

Wadegaon: awareness programme on snake bites at ZP Primary School

Raksha Bandhan is a festival to celebrate the relationship between brothers and sisters. In this festival, the sister ties a rakhi (ornamental thread) to the arm of the brother and he, in turn, promises to protect her. Mukund used this festival to promote awareness of conservation. He motivated girl students of Zilla Parishad Primary School, Kodebarra to tie rakhis to trees on the campus with a promise to take care of the trees.