Nagpur: After getting lessons in man-animal conflict, 32 guides were imparted training in wildlife in Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary near Pandharkawda in Yavatmal district.
The two-day training programme was held on March 26-27 in Tipeshwar. It was conducted in partnership with Maharashtra Forest Department (MFD), Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund (JTEF), Wildlife Trust of India’s (WTI) wild aid division.
The sessions were conducted by Yavatmal honorary district wildlife warden Ramzan Virani as part of rapid action project (RAP) sanctioned by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), working for wildlife conservation in the country.
The event was inaugurated by Pandharkawda deputy conservator of forest (DyCF) KM Abharna, while Tipeshwar DFO Pramod Panchbhai and ACF Sandeep Chavan presided over all sessions to ensure its smooth functioning.
Sanjay Karkare, assistant director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), was invited as the main resource person to address the participants on the role of nature guides in ecotourism, handling guests and keeping them engaged during safaris, and the ecology of Tipeshwar.
Pandharkawda divisional forest officer (DFO) Pramod Panchbhai presided over the inaugural session of the programme. On day one, Karkare delivered talk on role of nature guides in ecotourism and dos and don’ts in first technical session. He also talked about ecology and behaviour of the species like tiger. Panchbhai spoke on ecological monitoring.
On day 2, kits, which included T-shirt, shoes, caps, water bottle, and backpacks were given to the 32 trainees from two rehabilitated villages - Tipeshwar and Rajegaon - and also to the staff working at park’s Sunna and Mathni gates.
Chairing the valedictory session, WTI’s Central India advisor Prafulla Bhamburkar said, “Guides bridge the gap between tourists and the forest department. They are the face of the park and hence perfect training about park’s ecology, biodiversity, tracks, bird and animal species and their behaviour is a must. Hence, we took the maiden initiative.”
Panchbhai lauded WTI for sanctioning the project which will help in enriching the knowledge of guides and chanellising systematic tourism in Tipeshwar.
WTI’s Nikhil Dandekar, who works as field officer biologist talked about biodiversity and its importance and track and signs to look for in the forest during safaris.
Dandekar took the guides on a field excursion to identify tracks of animals and how to enthrall guests during safaris.
Virani talked about nature guides’ role in protecting the forests, importance of protected areas and how they benefit local communities. He also discussed general issues prevailing in Tipeshwar and how to tackle them.
Panchbhai said, “This training programme was a fantastic initiative. We will encourage more such refresher courses during monsoon break when the guides are relatively free."
ACF Chavan said, “It was a two-sided participatory training conducted very well. We always find guides lacking confidence. The training will help them in long run and keep tourists engaged.”
ENDS
