Objective: To work closely with the Forest Departments, education and hospitality sector for raising awareness on issues concerning biodiversity conservation.
Scope: To assist the Forest Department in imparting training and raising awareness on conservation issues such as mitigation of human-wildlife conflict and harmonious co-existence among local communities.
Location/Region: Pan-India
Milestones:
Timeline:
Wildlife SOS rescue centres function in collaboration with the state Forest Departments and work in consonance towards achieving the goal of conservation. Wildlife SOS assists the forest department to impart technical training and to encourage harmonious coexistence among local communities to live in proximity to wild animals. Being first responders to any situation of conflict, the Forest Department plays a vital role in supporting Wildlife SOS in the following crucial areas:
HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT MITIGATION
Imparting training and assistance to State Forest Departments is essential in order to support them in mitigating conflict between humans and wildlife that has been on a sharp rise. Wildlife SOS provides technical assistance in providing off-site first aid for injured animal and carrying out treatment procedures as well as training in use of rescue equipment such as trap cages, etc.; off-site treatment of injured wild animals such as leopards, sloth bears, hyenas after on-site treatment, translocation of wild elephants that are in vicinity to human habitation in order to avert conflict.
VETERINARY TRAINING
Wildlife SOS conducts specialised veterinary training programmes with mahouts and various state Forest Departments’ veterinary teams to educate them in humane methods of captive elephant management focusing on areas such as target training, positive conditioning, musth management, geriatric care of elephants, regular toenail trimming sessions and foot pedicures as well as foot treatments for the care of captive elephants. Wildlife SOS also invites veterinary students to train them in field expertise and for research on health issues related to the animals that we work with.
FOREST DEPARTMENT
Wildlife SOS works in consonance with the Forest Department in the planning of plantation and cleanliness drives at the centres, organising wildlife law enforcement workshops with the Forest Department to impart training in the field of wildlife crime investigation; training with Forest Department on wildlife crime scene investigation, collection of evidence and the law of the land i.e. Wildlife Protection Act, 1972; Imparting training to veterinary students with the aim of improving technical field expertise and understanding various health issues, especially in the area of animal rescue and wildlife forensics.
Wildlife SOS conducts education and awareness workshops with various stakeholders such as educational institutions, local communities, hospitality industries, corporate members as well as other organisations in covering important aspects of conservation such as mitigation of man-animal conflict, co-existing with wildlife such as elephants, leopards, reptiles, sloth bears and so forth, mitigation of urban-wildlife conflict, raising awareness on the plight of captive elephants in the country and unveiling the brutal reality behind elephant rides.
These workshops also aim at addressing common misconceptions about reptiles, busting myths on snakes, the first aid to be administered if bitten by a snake and disseminating information on the various snake species that are distributed throughout the country and to help promote coexistence .
Wildlife SOS has also conducted awareness workshops with the Kalandar community, whom we have helped by providing alternative and sustainable livelihoods, during the COVID19 pandemic. With these workshops, we sensitised the Kalandar community on the severity of the infection, starting from the symptoms to the diagnosis and the treatment, as well as maintaining social distancing, proper hygiene and sanitisation measures so as to curb the spread of infection.
Wildlife SOS invites volunteers and students for conducting wildlife consensus at the National Parks, plantation drives and cleanliness drives.
Working in the field of human-wildlife conflict mitigation, we conduct regular awareness workshops with local communities that are directly affected by conflict to encourage harmonious coexistence, educate them on ecology and behaviour of elephants, advising how to handle direct situations of conflict, working in coordination with the Forest Department for crop compensation.
