Dudhwa National Park, UP, November, 21, 2014:Each morning Jhalli Ram cycles 7-8 kilometers from his home to Surma Chowki in Dudhwa Range. Employed as a watcher with the Forest Department in the Dudhwa National Park, 40-year-old Jhalli Ram earns a meager Rs 2600 per month to sustain his family of four. For years he has been wanting to buy a new bicycle as the repairs on the old one are way too expensive for him to afford.

Jhalli Ram receiving the bicycle from WTI-Aircel team.
Photo: Akash/WTI

On 21st November, Jhalli Ram’s prayers were finally answered as Aircel in association with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) distributed new bicycles to several watchers of the Forest Department in the Dudhwa National Park. Sporting a bright smile, Jhalli Ram sits on the bicycle, happy that now he will be able to gift the old bicycle to his sons who walk several kilometers each day to reach school. “The new bicycle will certainly help me in patrolling areas far more efficiently and I won’t have to bother about repairs for some time now,” said Jhalli Ram.

Several other watchers are equally ecstatic and take the bicycle for a spin soon after they are handed over to them by Shri VK Singh, Deputy Director, Dudhwa National Park. Building on its commitment to the cause of tiger conservation in India, Aircel in association with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), donated critical equipment — bicycles and jackets– to the front line staff of the UP Forest Department. “Most of the time the forest staff has to travel kilometers on foot and equipment like bicycles and jackets, will assist the staff during their day and night time patrolling of the park to ensure the safety of the tigers and other wildlife within,” said Brinda Malhotra, Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, Aircel.

The bicycles on display.
Photo: Akash/WTI

Aircel in partnership with the Forest Department and WTI has been working on projects aimed to mitigate man-animal conflict in and around Dudhwa National Park. Committed to providing resource support to the front line staff of the UP Forest Department, this initiative is a great leap forward in making Forest Department gear up to the challenges in handling the issue of man-animal conflict in this extremely sensitive area.

“Equipping frontline forest staff to effectively patrol the park is critical for the survival of tigers and its prey species in the landscape. WTI, with support from organizations like Aircel, is involved in capacity building and training of the frontline forest staff for better management of many national parks, including Dudhwa,” said Dr NVK Ashraf, Director and Chief Veterinarian, WTI.

The forest watchers on the donated bicycles.
Photo: Akash/WTI

To mitigate human-animal conflict, Aircel, WTI and the the Forest Department formed Primary Response Teams and Rapid Response Teams in villages with high conflict. Training of forest staff and equipping them with anti-poaching kits has also been a high priority. Similar interventions have been implemented across various tiger reserves and sanctuaries in India by WTI.