By Aaliya Mir
Winter is almost coming to an end and spring is arriving quickly. With the changes of the seasons brings a new hope and a new dawn for the dwindling wildlife in the Jammu and Kashmir area. Wildlife SOS is all geared up to tackle the challenges of reducing the conflicts that happen between wildlife and people.
The important and groundbreaking work done in the past by Wildlife SOS in Jammu and Kashmir was even acknowledged and praised by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. A K Singh in New Delhi during the recent International Bear Association 2O12 conference. He noted that Wildlife SOS adheres to its promise of helping the people and wildlife of Jammu and Kashmir and he looked forward to the continued work of Wildlife SOS in 2013 and long into the future.
On Saturday, March 2, the spring campaign took off and a program was organized in Chadoora district Budgam. The program was conducted in scholar’s coaching center, Chadoora – the biggest coaching center in the area. Aaliya Mir, the Education Officer for Wildlife SOS, started off the program by giving an account of wildlife in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. She urged the students to acquire more knowledge about the ecosystem and the ecology of the state. This was followed by an interactive discussion focused on the importance of wildlife for humans and habitat needed to protect wild areas. The final portion of the presentation was given by the wildlife biologist for Wildlife SOS, Tahir Gazanfar, who led a discussion on the causes and remedies of man-animal conflict.
It was a successful day and a good start to 2013