Workshop on conservation of Asian elephant gets underway at Majuli

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, October 7: Aaranyak, in collaboration with Assam Forest Department, APE, Bhumi, has organised a series of four-day workshops in Assam titled ‘Haati Goes to School’, focusing on conservation of Asian elephants. The main goal of the workshop, organized with fincial support from US Fish and Wildlife Service, is to ensure long-term conservation of Asian elephant by creating a group of trained teachers who can motivate their students and colleagues to imbibe the value of Human-elephant Co-existence (HEC) and can develop a positive mindset in them to deal with problems of human-elephant conflict.

As a part of the ongoing series, the fourth workshop from October 6 to October 9 is being held at Majuli College which was iugurated Majuli College Principal Dr. Anda Hazarika. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Hazarika welcomed all the participants and urged them to enhance their knowledge on Asian Elephant through the workshop. He thanked Aaranyak for coming up with these workshops on conservation of elephant for school teachers.

Also speaking on the occasion Dr. Dilip Chetry, vice-president of Aaranyak welcomed the participants and highlighted the main objectives of the workshop which is to imbibe the value of Human-elephant Co-existence (HEC) and the development of a positive min set in them to deal with problems of human-elephant conflict. Dr. Dilip Chetry, also Honorary Wildlife Warden, encouraged the participants and the students to come forward for the conservation of Asian elephant. Dr. Chetry highlighted a wide range of topics of the workshop that included concept map on elephant, basics of elephant taxonomy, present and historical distribution of Asian elephant, elephant in Northeast India and its conservation, elephant ecology and behaviour, human-elephant conflict mitigation, elephants in culture and mythology, elephant in Assamese culture and tradition, elephant conservation in Assam and planning education programme/fund raising etc.

A total of 40 school teachers from Majuli Subdivision, and four teachers from Majuli College, have atteneded the workshop. Dr. Dilip Chetry, Kumud Ghosh of kachari College, Hiten Kumar Bhaishya of WWF, Mridu Paban Phukan of Wildlife Conservation and Study Centre, Uttam Saikia, Honorary Wildlife Warden, Joy Ram Baruah ACF and Atul Chandra Das of Jorhat Forest Division and Robindran Sharma Research Officer of Kaziranga tiol Park will be the resource persons throughout the workshop. In addition, the participants will take the part in environmental game called ‘Shrinking habitat and elephants’, drama preparation and presentation on human-elephant co-existence.