Dimapur, July 10 (MExN): The Wildlife Division Dimapur team led by Wildlife Warden K Caroline Angami (IFS) has yet again organised an awareness programme. This time around, the team drove approximately 150 km (via Golaghat road, Assam) from the heart of Dimapur Town to the outskirts of Mokokchung in Akumen village on July 9.
The programme, which came about after a leopard attacked a villager few days ago in the vicinity of Akumen village, was also attended by the people of adjoining Lirmen and Tsurmen villages.
The Wildlife Warden, Caroline welcomed the participants and applauded them for the positive response the Division received in conducting the awareness campaign. She further distributed guidelines and manual books of Wildlife Protection Act 1972 to the three villages.
In a press release, she further informed that Bano Haralu, Director of Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Trust, who was the resource person, exhorted the participants to have a holistic approach on mitigation of wildlife conflict.
Regarding the leopard incident, Haralu observed that the incident should have been studied on a chronological sequence of events over the past and not on any random assumptions in regards to the wild animal.
She asserted that humans and wild animals have lived together in the past and in no way different today. “And so with ever increasing demands of resources it only becomes more imperative to become proactive in conservation and mark a sense of belongingness to the surrounding areas,” the resource person added, according to the release.
Visual clips on wildlife crime and videos on mutual coexistence of humans with leopard were also shown to further augment and give more practical information to the viewers.
Commenting on the success of the programme, Imnanukshi, Deputy Ranger, Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) thanked the participants for their unwavering support and the cordial hospitality by the people of Akumen village, the release said. The programme chaired by Kikavi Chophi, Forest Ranger, WCCU commenced with an invocation by I. Temjen, Pastor, Akumen village.
The press release pointed out that Human-Animal Conflict (HAC) is a global concern, affecting all the habitats that exist within its realm. Stating that Nagaland, blessed with enormous forest land, has seen a steady surge in HAC like any states in India, it added that the effect of Climate Change also aggravates the problem. Nevertheless, the efforts put by the Wildlife Division leaves a shining light with doors open for positive possibilities, the release added.
