Mussoorie: To educate Tibetan school children about our rich wildlife heritage and its significance to earth, the Winterline Nature Trust and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) organized a wildlife safari for a group of children from the Tibetan Home Foundation (THF) to National Parks in Uttaranchal.

The tour was organized from February 21 to 26 as part of the Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign (TCAC) which was launched by His Holiness the Dalai Lama with WTI and the Care for the Wild International (CWI) in April, last year.

A group of 11 children from the Mussoorie based THF visited Rajaji and Jim Corbett National Parks, Jhilmil Conservation Reserve, and the famous home of Jim Corbett in Kaladhungi. Head Master of the school, Tsering Choklang and Tsering Dorjee, Advisor of the TCA Campaign accompanied the children.

Project Officer of WTI, Pasang Lhamu Bhutia who accompanied the group said that knowledge about wildlife among children is crucial since they could play an important role for conservation in the future. “They could play the role of a catalyst by informing parents and elders not to use wildlife products and the devastating wildlife trade that results from such actions.”

These students in India who are originally from Amdo, Lhasa and Kham provinces of Tibet are expected to carry forward this experience to their families and school mates to spread the message of conservation. Children are hopeful that they would soon be able to set up an Environment & Wildlife Club in school to continue this productive learning forward.

The children also participated in a Wildlife Quiz competition and were given certificates of attendance signed by Dr. Barbara Maas, Chief Executive of CWI, Shantanu Sharkar, Trustee WNT and Ashok Kumar, Vice Chairman of WTI.

To inform them about the recent initiatives by the government for the protection of these wildlife parks and sanctuaries, a field visit was conducted to different rehabilitation colonies in Ramgarh and Chilla regions.  Here, they got an opportunity to interact with the villagers and to learn about sacrifices villagers have made willingly by giving up lands in wildlife areas.

Elephants, Sambhar, cheetal, nilgai, spotted deer, fox, mongoose, wild boar, pheasants and different species of birds were spotted in wildlife sanctuaries and parks by the young tourists.

This group of Tibetan children is among the first to receive this wildlife educational tour, which will be conducted often in the future with other Tibetan schools.

The Dalai Lama who has been at the forefront of this campaign appealed to Tibetans in India and in Tibet for shedding garments made from endangered animal pelts.