Lessons from the leopard-human symbiosis, the army of “leopard messengers”! ‘Janata Waghoba’ has reached 30 villages for conflict resolution, what is the initiative? – Raising awareness of leopard-human symbiosis in 30 villages under the janata waghoba initiative

Nasik: Leopard-human symbiosis lessons are being taught at the village level to tame the increasing wildlife conflict in both rural and urban areas of the district. So far, awareness of leopard-human symbiosis has been raised in thirty villages under the “Janata Waghoba” initiative. Interestingly, an army of “leopard messengers” is being formed to educate people on how to live safely with leopards as well as conflict resolution. Currently, 100 students from two villages, namely Vilholi and Ambebahula, are working as messengers.

The “Janata Waghoba” initiative is implemented in the city by the Nashik West Forestry Department, the Wild Life Conservation Society, and the Conservation Leadership Program. As part of this, a discussion was held with the media at the Western Forestry Department office on Wednesday 25th. Forestry Officer Vivek Bhadane, Honorary Wildlife Warden Vaibhav Bhogle and Akshay Mandavkar were present on the occasion. On this occasion, Bhogle gave information on the “Janata Waghoba” initiative.

What is the activity?

– Students are informed about the modification of the habitat, lifestyle, reason and attack method of the leopard.

– Students are prepared for home and village enlightenment by providing videotapes and posters.

– Leopards will live in forests, fields near their homes, awareness is given to live safely with them.

– The fauna remains in the villages and becomes “leopard messengers” in schools and colleges.

– In the next phase, these emissaries will take on special responsibility for wildlife conservation.

– Given that this model was successful in Junnar, forestry officials are optimistic that this effective “matra” will also be applied to the conflict in Nashik.

Why ‘Janata Waghoba’?

In 2020, five people died from sudden leopard attacks in Nashik’s Darnakhora. After studying the villages there, the forest service realized that these attacks were due to the cultivation of sugar cane. Then, after twelve leopards were trapped in a cage, it was decided to set up this activity to raise awareness among citizens. Previously, this initiative was popularized as the “Junnar Pattern”. As a result, the forest department started the activity by sensitizing and discussing with the villagers about the leopard-human symbiosis at the village level.

Activity answers…

Awareness is being raised on how citizens should live together in leopard-prone areas. Accordingly, what to do when going to the farm at night, how to keep the area clean, what to do when coming home from school, what to do if you see baby leopards, how to keep animals safe, precautions to take while sleeping outside the house at night, how and in which direction the doors of the house should be, what to do if you see a leopard in the field, reasonable answers to questions whether everyone is afraid of leopards, what to do if a leopard comes through, if it’s a good option to trap a leopard in a cage and release it somewhere else, are passed on to citizens through activities.