Indian Wildlife Club Forum

On a recent visit to Rishikesh when I stayed at one of the mountain resorts, I decided to trek the mountain slopes along with one of the workers at the resort-who was a cook cum coolie at the place.

As we walked along, I was surprised to hear him talk about the uses and medicinal values of almost every plant that grew around there. He said he and his family members have never visited a doctor.

 As we came back, he wanted to know if I can help him get a job in Delhi. I felt ashamed and helpless. Tried explaining to him that the knowledge he has and the air he breathes in is so much superior to what we urbanites have to offer.

I do not think he was poorly off. Is there anything we can do to empower him- to respect him for his knowledge?

I recently went to the Sriram School in Gurgaon where a screening of "Curbing the Crisis" by Tiger Watch was held. What came as a pleasant surprise was hearing that the "Junior Tiger Task Force" as the young tiger activists in the school call themselves, have got into the act to do something at grassroot level.

They are helping a Mogia family to find an alternate way of earning income. The Mogias are a tribe from Ranthambore who have hunted wild animals for a living for centuries. They also have a "Guggle Project"-helping planting local trees in rehabilitated villages.

Environmrnt education or awareness does not necessarily stop at refining the Automobile exaust gases or stopping an industry from spewing smoke from their chimneys. Environment awareness has to be addressed as a whole.

The need today is to inculcate an environment friendly attitude into people.  One effective way is to share the knowledge, educate- through visuals and talk shows to school children by volunteers and teach them that Flora and Fauna are something to be respected and protected. 

The Gram Panchayat platforms could be urged to hold slide-shows and teach the rural people to protect their environment for their own benefit and diversity. All this could be done with the involvement of a few like minded people to volunteer and campaign.  We have to come together first.

Mr. Ankur Chaturvedi seems to have a good way of keeping elephants at bay from straying into plantations or any other human settlement.

True, like he says we are in the way of the elephants and not the other way. 

I would like to know what method Mr. Chaturvedi has in mind to keep elephants from harms way.  May be, if has to be discussed with a lot of like minded people and if found very appropriate, urge the Govt. authorities to implement the same.  We can campaign for such causes from the IWC platform itself, with all the subscribers and members making an e-mail campain to implement the idea.  There is a lot we can do, we only have the first few steps.

Dear Susan,

Yes, thank you, we have received the film To Corbett with Love.

It was a present from me to my wife for Christmas and we have already watched it and found it very interesting. We have only recently returned home to Canterbury after 3 weeks in India, where we spent several nights at Corbett (staying at Claridges Hideaway) - and saw wild elephants, deer, monkeys and many birds.

We saw no tigers, alas, but had previously seen five at Bandhavgarh NP so we were OK about that! We loved Corbett and hope to return one day, so your film brought back happy memories for us.

Thank you - and a happy New Year to you, too.

Best wishes,

Andrew (and Ros) Rootes

Dear Susan Sharma

Last week I got a copy of film "Living With the Park-Ranthambore National Park". This is a good effort made in showing what is going on in Ranthambore. I would like to thank you for making such a good short film wherein we involved in wild life conservation can get the insight of what is going on and then make a effort to set right the problems.

 I hope you will come out with more such films. I by judging quality of photography, I was able to make this film is made in handy cam; there is no that you have choosen the best company i.e. is excel video for duplicating the video. I suggest that you can use professional equipment to make these films.

Keep up the good work.

Regards

Manohar

Caring for Creation

39, 1st Cross C.S.I. Compound Mission Road

Bangalore 560 027

M No 9448272978

The salient features of the Ministerial Report on Narmada Dam can be read at the following link

http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/17/stories/2006041705231100.htm

The three member team was deputed by Dr. Manmohan Singh to visit rehabilitation sites and submergence villages consequent upon the Dam height is being raised from 110 meters to 122 meters.

Salient features

1. Project affected families, under no circumstances can be settled before July, that is, before arrival of monsoon.
2. Complaint about bribery in cash compensation system
3. No infrastructure facilities in resettlement areas
4. "Gram Sabhas not consulted, everything is happening by force."

IndianWildlifeClub.com has produced five short films under the banner “Wildbytes.tv”.

1. Sarang-The Peacock
2. To Corbett With Love
3. Wilderness Nepal
4. Seoul-Where Modernity bows to Tradition
5. Living With the Park-Ranthambore National Park

You can have a preview of the films at

http://video.google.com

where trailers of the films have been uploaded and can be viewed on your desktop. To view the film you need to have a broad band connection on your computer.

Please write the name of the film in the search button on the main page at http://video.google.com

Alternately, write Susan Sharma in the search box and all the five films will appear. Click on the play button and you can see a trailer of about two and a half minutes long, on each of the five films.

All the five shorts are available for purchase online at

http://www.wildscapes.net

"Despite its overwhelming biological diversity and tropical ecosystems, Malaysia lacks lakes. There are only two natural freshwater bodies in the entire country: Tasik Bera and Tasik Chini. Most of the others are the result of manmade dams and former tin mine pools……………………..

 In 1995, Tasik Chini was dealt a near fatal blow in an attempt to increase tourism. This oxymoronic consequence illustrates the failure of consultants to recognize the delicate nature of lake ecosystems and the often-indelicate decisions of bureaucrats. Sediments from logging and oil palm estate clearance ended up in the lake, causing some sections to become too shallow to ferry tourists during the two-month dry season. Thus, boatmen requested a rise in the water level by building a dam. One year after dam construction, thousands of trees rimming the lake died due to inundation. Fish that used the lake to nest and breed were cut off; hence species such as arowana and the giant featherback were exhausted………………………..

Bishan Singh, a tireless activist in his sixties, sits on a stump in front of seventy school children seated on reed mats in the compound of a Jakun village in Kampung Putut. He has several messages for the youngsters. "Everyday we are confronted with ecological destruction," he tells the attentive faces before they embark on a tour of the lake. "Every campaign needs a hero, someone who is brave enough to take action." After 20 years of teaching and decades more working with grassroots community groups, Bishan has seen many heroes emerge. "You can do ordinary things and become extraordinary."…………….

Read the full article at

 http://wildasia.net/main/article.cfm?articleID=271