Activity Update October 2014: Navegaon-Nagzira

Team:

Mukund Dhurve       – Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam              -   Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve – Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff on 6 patrols

·      1 community assistance voluntary work project – programme to clean area next to hand pump at Mangezari.

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

·      Wildlife week celebrated

·      Organized 6 medical camps at which 184 patients got free treatment

Conservation

Our team organized a community assistance programme on October 19 to clear the area around a hand pump at Mangezari. 7 unemployed youths participated in this programme which was led by Mukund and Salimkumar.

In this place, water had spilled over while people drew from the hand pump and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of mosquitoes and insects. Our teams cleared the area, removing scum and organic growth and dug a canal to drain away the water.

Mangezari - volunteers cleaning area around the hand pump

Mangezari plastic litter clean-up drive

Our team joined the Forest Department in day and night patrols on the road from Mangezari to Kodebarra and Mangezari to Jindatola on October 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26.  Patrolling was intensified in the area after a tiger was spotted on October 21 as officials wanted to monitor the movement of the tiger and ensure that it was safe from poachers.

The area is known to attract poachers as power cables are strung 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.

Anti-poaching patrol in Compartment 110

Patrol in Compartment 109

Night patrol between Mangezari and Kodebarra

On October 18, we also organized a patrol in Compartment 109 during which our team

cleaned a water hole in the Compartment. The water body was clogged with organic litter and dust. Our team removed the litter and de-silted the water body. Photo below.

We also organized a range of activities to celebrate the Wildlife Week between October 12 and October 7. Officials of the Forest Department participated in all the activities which involved 8 schools in our area of operations. .

The Government of Maharashtra has issued the buffer zone notification for the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve. Following this, doubts have sprung up in the minds of villagers as to how they will be affected by the notification. Due to the doubts, some villagers have started opposing the notification. To clear these doubts and misgiving, we organized a series of awareness programmes in various villages during October. The details are as follows:

Pitezari – October 26

Lendezari – October 30

On October 14, we participated in a programme to train guides working in New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary. Mukund taught the guides the basics of interaction with tourists and also basics of bird-watching and identification.

MHU

There were 6 health camps in October.

Free medical camp, Asalpani