Uttaranchal: A group of Tibetan youths takes center stage to promote wildlife conservation in Tibetan settlements across the country.

These emissaries work as guides to spread conservation message through various educational and awareness activities, Pasang Lhamu Bhutia of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said.

The programme is initiated under the Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign of WTI and Care for the Wild International (CWI).

In the first phase of the project, three Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Karnataka are being covered.

The representatives are visiting Tibetan monasteries, schools and settlements in Dehradun, Ponta Sahib, and Mundgod etc. for conducting talks, quizzes and drawing competitions, besides special screenings of wildlife movies.

“The aim is to discourage Tibetans who use wildlife products and also those who are involved in the illegal trade,” Bhutia said.

The campaign has been positively received by people in the settlements and as a touching gesture people even donated money and other support, Ashok Kumar, Vice Chairman of WTI said.

Use of garments made from tiger, leopard, and otter skins (Chubas) as well as their bones for traditional Chinese medicines in China has threatened their survival in the wild.

Raw materials are suspected to have been smuggled from India and other range countries. Though some traders involved in the crime have been arrested, many are still at large.

50 Tibetan settlements, 54 schools and 95 monasteries in 11 states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Shillong, Orissa, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh etc. will be covered.

This campaign was launched by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in April last year in conjunction with WTI and CWI. Nearly, 3000 Tibetans have till now signed pledges in support of the campaign.

Pix credit: WTI