BHOPAL: In the Pench Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh, famous as the Land of Mowgli from the Jungle Book, special night chaupals are being organised to educate villagers about the increasing tigers-humans conflicts and ways to prevent loss of lives in the attacks.
Called ‘Bagh Chaupals’, these one-hour long chaupals are being held by the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) management in 100-plus villages in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve-national park and adjoining landscape of Seoni and Chhindwara districts.
The chaupals which started on October 16, included screening of short films and documentaries on big screens, besides interactive presentations to educate villagers, particularly women and children, about the importance of tigers in forest, need of wildlife and forest protection, reasons behind tiger attacks on cattle and humans and do’s and don’ts about when confronted by a tiger. What makes the chaupals distinct is the active involvement of local politicians, particularly tribal netas.
“The local politicians play a key role in these chaupals. They don’t talk about politics, but focus on tigers and jungles. The villagers are also educated on ways to stay safe from snakes in the forests,” PTR’s deputy director Rajnish Kumar Singh said.
According to Singh, the first phase of the bagh chaupals is over and the second phase will start from December 1. “These evening and night bagh chaupals will be made a permanent feature.”
The PTR and adjoining landscape (South Seoni, South Balaghat, South Chhindwara and East Chhindwara divisions) is estimated to have over 123 tigers, including 80-85 in the reserve/national park area and 40 plus which keep moving between the park and adjoining landscape.
As per the 2018 tiger census, the PTR which is spread in Seoni and Chhindwara districts, had a population of 87 tigers, which grew to 123 in 2022.