‘Tiger, Tiger, burning bright’: Workshop on Tigers by Pooja Choksi
Even though the students in the forest villages of Tikadi, Paraspani and Sarrah live around the Pench Tiger Reserve, very few of them have actually seen a tiger or know about its behaviour.
On a ‘Tiger Trail’ to understand the behaviour of the tigers
Our program coordinator, Pooja Choksi, gave the students a peek into the world of tigers- where tigers live, the way they behave, their anatomy, their habits and their subspecies.
Examining a pug cast to know more about the tiger it belongs to.
At each activity the students did, they were amazed by the facts they found out about their national animal.
The students trying to identify which tiger the scent of the tiger cut out belongs to.
Mr. Tiwari, the Range Officer of Pench Tiger Reserve, graciously volunteered to show them a little something of the work forest guards have to do and the students got a chance to identify and trace pug marks with the guards.
Mr. Tiwari explaining to the students how pug casts are made.
Content with her tracing!
From a 100,000 tigers a century ago to just a mere 3500 around the world today, this workshop addressed the troubles tigers now face to simply exist. The tiger and its home which is under constant threat, has now become the cornerstone of our survival.
Using a simple soil erosion and water run off experiment, the students understood the importance of saving the tiger. If we save the tigers, we save the forests and water.
The camera traps we put up all around the room took some funny photos of the students which they loved!
At the end of the workshop, we showed the students their photos which had been clicked by camera traps discreetly set up all around them; they were so thrilled to see themselves up on the screen!
(We started our program of workshops for the students of the forest villages of Tikadi, Paraspani and Sarrah in July, 2013. With immense support from the Pench Tiger Reserve staff, we now reach out to over 200 students. Since the students who live more than 30 kilometres away from the E-Base in Turia couldn’t reach us, we decided to reach them. With modified versions of our workshops and carrying all our materials and equipment, we travel close to 35 kilometres through the tiger reserve to meet the students. The eager faces and shy giggles on experiencing our workshops have made it worth the travelling and long days.
Follow us virtually as we travel in a Bolero full to the roof with globes, charts, science experiment materials and the likes to bring to these students the best from the E-Base.)
