Pasighat, 17th November 2024: With the support of World Land Trust under the D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Link project (DDS), a three-day wildlife crime prevention training for frontline staff was conducted by Wildlife Trust of India(WTI) in Pasighat collaboration with Pasighat Territorial Division under the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (DoEFCC), Arunachal Pradesh. The training session focused on deepening the understanding of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, providing hands-on field training in investigating wildlife crime scenes and implementation of the law to strengthen legal cases during the seizures. 

The D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the oldest Protected Areas (PAs) of Arunachal Pradesh. It is home to several endangered wildlife species including Asian elephants, Bengal florican, and wild buffalo. Situated along the banks of the Siang River, the D’Ering WLS is easily accessible from the nearby human settlements and territorial areas across the river.  The sanctuary is also linked to Assam’s Dibru- Saikhowa National Park across the state border. Owing to its rich biodiversity and vast area, the frontline staff of both the Wildlife and Territorial Divisions play a crucial role in ensuring the protection and prevention of wildlife crime within and outside the sanctuary. 

Pradipty Bhardwaj led a session on the legal aspects of wildlife crime investigations | Photo by WTI team

 The training, held from November 11-13, was attended by 27 frontline staff of Pasighat Territorial Division in the presence of Shri. Hano Moda (DFO, Pasighat Division) and Dr. Panjit Basumatary (Manager and Head of the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC). The sessions were led by  Pradipty Bhardwaj who covered the legal aspects and Monesh Singh Tomar, who focused on wildlife crime investigation.

The participants had the opportunity to delve into comprehensive knowledge about the legal responsibilities of frontline staff, wildlife crime reporting practises, identification of wildlife articles, documentation and evidence collection, and the procedural handling of wildlife crime cases in the courtroom. The pre and post-tests were conducted to assess the impact of the training process. Additionally, the participants engaged in role-playing exercises and mock investigations through stimulated scenarios to practice their response to wildlife crime incidents.

Role-playing exercise on checkpoint seizures | Photo by WTI team

The training concluded with the distribution of field kits and certificates to the participants and a vote of thanks by Shri. Hano Moda, DFO Pasighat Territorial Division. Expressing his appreiciation,  he said “I am thankful to WTI and the frontline staff for facilitating and participating in the training. I hope that in the future, we will have more opportunities to collaborate in strengthening the capabilities of the frontline staff for the greater conservation and protection of wildlife”.  

Read more about WTI’s D’Ering-Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Link Project