Activity Update October 2016: Tadoba

Highlights:

Volunteers examine nilgai scat on patrol organised by us in buffer area

Bamdeli - Dr Gopal Adgokar treats child at our free medical camp

Bamdeli - Students of village school perform in wildlife-themed skit

 Candidates for driver's training progrmme arrive in Chandrapur
to give their learner's licence test

 Sitarampeth Anti-Poaching Patrol

Sitarampeth Anti-Poaching Patrols, sloth bear foraging signs

Spotted by our  nti-poaching patrols,
this tiger pugmark indicates the presence
of the big cat in Tadoba's buffer forests

Spotted by our anti-poaching patrols, the trails are well used
by large carnivores like the leopard that left this pugmark

Moharli - Candidates for driver's training programme
 get briefed about the programme

Mudholi - School students participate
in a kabaddi programme organised by us.
We used the programme to promote the conservation message.

Mudholi - Students of village schools take part
in a kabaddi programme organised by us 

Sitarampeth - Dr Gopal Adgokar treats a villager at our free medical camp

Signs of sloth bear digging for food spotted by volunteers on patrol

Village youths on patrol in jungle

Sitarampeth - Villagers learn about skill-development programmes
offered by Bank of India's Rural Self-Employment Training Institute

THE FULL REPORT

Field Staff:

Conservation Officer – Prameek Kannan

Highlights

·      2 Anti-poaching patrols in buffer forests, with 20 local youths.

·      2 Education programmes were conducted with 145 participants, including wildlife-conservation themed sports and skit competitions.

·      One programme to train 40 village youths in driving four-wheelers was launched on October 28 at Moharli. This is a one-month programme

·      One awareness programme was organized on October 14 at Sitarampeth in which village youths were given information about various skill-development programmes run by Bank of India’s Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (R-Seti)

·      Six villages covered by Mobile Health Unit -- treated 417 patients.

Conservation

On October 20^th Conservation Officer Prameek Kannan conducted an anti-poaching patrol in the buffer forests around Sitarampeth village with 9 youths from Sitarampeth village. Another anti-poaching patrol was conducted on the 23^rdof October around the buffer forest of Sitarampeth, this time with 11 youths from the village. An abundance of animal signs were seen on the buffer trails, including pugmarks, scrapes and scat of tigers and leopards, and digging signs of sloth bears, as well as tracks and scat of a variety of ungulates such as sambar, nilgai and gaur.

Education

On October 6^th, the SF team conducted a Kabbaddi tournament in Mudholi village, where 120 participants from Zilla Parishad and Saraswati Secondary Schools participated in the event. Trophies were presented to the winners of the tournament, after which the teachers of the schools and Prameek spoke about the importance of sports for health and development, just as conservation actions are important for the health and development of both forests and surrounding villages alike. They pledged to join hands for future conservation activities with the SF team and the Forest Department. The teams bore names of the wildlife of the area.

On October 7^th, the students of Bhamdeli Zilla Parishad School performed a skit on the harm that plastic can do to wildlife and the ecosystem, and why we must stop littering.

Employment

On the 14^th of October, a livelihood training awareness session was conducted in Sitarampeth village, which was attended by 25 villagers, including members of the VEDC and Sarpanch. The session was conducted by SF and Bank of India’s Rural Self Employment Training Institute (R-SETI), and was presided over by their State Project Coordinator V.M. Potdar, who had come from Nagpur. This session was conducted to make the villagers aware of the availability of such services of support for self employment within their villages, wherein training would be provided to help enhance their income potential through self-employment by practices such as dairy and organic farming, and various other forms of agriculture and cottage industry. This session looked to ascertain from the villagers what form of livelihood they pursue, and what skills they would like to develop through training from R-SETI in Chandrapur to enhance their income through self-employment.

On the 24^th of October we held a briefing session for the candidates of our driver’s training programme Moharli, attended by 13 candidates. Our employment officer Ajay Poddar and the driving instructor from Chandrapur’s India Driving School were at the session to brief the candidates about their month long training program. Candidates were handed out study material for their Learner’s License test to be held on the 28^th.

On the 28^th of October, 33 candidates took their Learner’s License test through Chandrapur’s India Driving School at the Chandrapur RTO.

Medical Health Unit

There were 6 health camps in October.