Eravikulam National Park, Kerala: Protecting those who protect our wildlife is just one of the programs that the Wildlife Trust of India(WTI) has under its umbrella that encompasses the gamut of conservation action.Under the Guardians of the Wild Program, WTI initiated a dialogue in 1999 with one of India’s largest public sector insurance companies, United India Insurance Company (UIIC) to provide supplementary accident insurance to field forest staff in India. The package designed by UIIC offers Rs.1 lakh as the sum insured per employee. For the scheme to be made applicable in a state, the requisite state government’s approval as well as a list of eligible employees, is a pre-condition. A total of 25,000 persons were insured and permissions were received from 21 states covering all important forest areas in India.

In case of a claim, the officer concerned sends the relevant documents to WTI, which verifies and processes the claim, and forwards it to UIIC. UIIC subsequently processes the claim and issues the cheque to WTI. A WTI project officer then personally hands over the cheque to the nominee or the claimant, as the case may be.

Mr. Bose, a Forest Department employee of Eravikulam National Park who worked as Muduvan Watcher in Kerala met with an accident on the 16 th of August, 2004. With the initiative of the Guardian of the Wild program of Wildlife Trust of India the insurance money of Rs.1 lakh was handed over by Anil K. Bharadwaj, Field Director, Project Tiger to Mrs. Parasakthi, wife of late Mr.Bose.

As reported by James Zacharias, Wildlife Warden, Munnar, Mr.Bose was entrusted with the task of checking the peripheries of the National Park for possible snares and nooses set by local poachers for hunting Nilgiri tahr, sambar, barking deer etc. After scanning the areas thoroughly he went to the local market for collecting some information and provisions on the 16^th evening.

“He was also instructed to be on the lookout for sandalwood smugglers who were reportedly operating through a portion of the National Park near a certain bridge,” the Wildlife Warden said. “ It was raining incessantly from morning when Mr. Bose reached the spot. The narrow concrete bridge had no handrails and while moving along the bridge, he probably slipped and fell. He hit his head on a rock and died on the spot due to serious head injuries,” he added.

Mr. Bose, who is survived by his wife and four children, worked for twenty years as Muduvan Watcher for the National Park.