As Madhya Pradesh prepares for arrival of cheetahs at the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve (VDTR), the park management has devised an out-of-the-box idea for creating awareness in villages through ‘Cheetah Chaupals.’
The campaign aims at familiarising local communities, especially children, with the world’s fastest land animal before it reaches VDTR which will be the first the tiger reserve to get cheetahs.
The evening chaupals, being organised since May 31 in villages located in the core and buffer zones of the reserve, are drawing 50 to 150 children daily. Through documentaries, interactive presentations and question-answer sessions, forest officials are trying to dispel fears surrounding cheetahs and explain how the species could benefit the region. The outreach initiative has also created a unique connection between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi and MP’s largest tiger reserve. Artisans from Varanasi’s Bhullanpur area have crafted colourful cheetah-faced wooden pencils which are being distributed among children attending the chaupals.
“Cheetah-centric pencils crafted by artisans in Kashi and cheetah-themed face masks sourced from Bhopal are among the most popular gifts among children,” divisional forest officer of Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve Rajnish Kumar Singh told TNIE. According to him, the first phase of the campaign has already covered over 10 villages and reached nearly 1,500 children. The pencils have been crafted by a team led by 25-year-old second-generation toymaker and entrepreneur Sunil Vishwakarma. “Our association with tiger reserves in MP is around three years old. Earlier too, Pench Tiger Reserve sourced handcrafted tiger-faced pencils and wooden artefacts from us for awareness campaigns. We are proud to now be associated with the cheetah project launched by our third-time MP and Prime Minister in 2022,” Vishwakarma said.
Forest officials said the chaupals are particularly aimed at addressing concerns among villagers about the possible threat posed by cheetahs. Children attending the sessions are being informed about cheetahs, as well as other wildlife species like tigers, leopards and wolves that already inhabit the reserve. “Children can be the most profound teachers for their families. So, the young ones are not just being handed gifts but shared all information pertaining to cheetahs, other wildlife species, including tigers, leopards and wolves” Singh added. Officials are also explaining how cheetahs could boost tourism, improve livelihoods and help farmers by controlling nilgai populations that damage crops and help water conservation in the water-starved Bundelkhand region. The next phase of the campaign will involve programmes in schools and training local ‘Cheetah Mitras’.
