BENGALURU: For the first time, forest officials of Bandipur Tiger Reserve are getting trained to sharpen their skills at Kaziranga National Park.
Kaziranga is UNESCO declared World Heritage Site and is considered as the best location in India, not just to sight the one-horned rhinos but also for any forester to be trained.
Making the most of it, a team of 18 newly-recruited deputy range forest officers in the special tiger protection force deployed at Bandipur are now sharpening their skills in Kaziranga for eight days, starting Monday.
B J Hosmat, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Kaziranga told TNIE: “I have brought the team on the directions of serving PCCF. This sort of workshop, training and exchange problem will only help improve wildlife conservation. Kaziranga is the ideal location to learn because of the difficult terrain and geography. The place is home to rhinos and tigers, and has a lot of man- animal conflict cases. These staffers brought here, are new recruits and were deployed just six months back after an eight-year-long training. Apart from learning, this is also a good motivational exercise.”
Adding to this PCCF, wildlife, Sanjai Mohan said those in Kaziranga are much more skilled in many things. So the workshop will work as a good information and skill exchange programme.
The Karnataka foresters said that realising that the staffers in Kaziranga have different methods of foot patrolling, tracking, trekking and methods to handle forest fire, they also have stricter methods of dealing with the man-animal conflict. He added that they could be sent now as the chances of forest fire were minimal and learning new skills would only help combat forest fire immediately once they return and take charge at their posts.
“We will be patrolling with them and staying in their anti-poaching camps. I had never stayed on a tree top camp. This will be my first time. Most of the anti-poaching camps in Bandipur are covered with moats, so there is less chances of elephant encounter. But I was told that elephants destroy the camps and come in direct contact with campers. This has made them more bold and confident. I want to learn that as it will help in dealing with conflict cases ,” said a forester.