Students, Teachers Visit Kawal Tiger Reserve During Wildlife Week

Adilabad: The Kawal Tiger Reserve is attracting students, teachers and other nature lovers as part of National Wildlife Week celebrations being held from October 2 to 8.

Kawal Tiger Reserve officials are conducting awareness programmes for visitors on trees, birds, wild animals and the importance of biodiversity. Participants are also being taken into the reserve as part of the programmes.

Participants raised slogans, ‘Vanya Pranulanu Kapadudam… Bhavishaytharalaku Prakruthini Nilupudam’.

As part of the celebrations, officials conducted a four-km nature walk from Gondguda Safari Gate to Bison Kunta.

Jannaram DFO M. Rammohan explained to participants, including school and college students, about trees such as teak, Nallamaddi, BattaKamidi, Tella Thumma, Sandra, Iriki and Burugu, and their medicinal qualities.

He explained the role of dried trees in providing habitat and food for birds, insects, worms and reptiles.

He also spoke about grasslands and water bodies and their importance in forest conservation and maintaining biodiversity.

Rammohan told Deccan Chronicle that the department was ready to conduct awareness programmes for interested school and college students. On Saturday, 30 students, including girls, from the MSc Botany Department of Satavahana University, Karimnagar, led by HoD Dr S. Kiran and four faculty members, visited the reserve.

The students took notes on plants and trees during the nature walk, while forest officials explained forest management practices.

During the four-km walk on the first day, visitors sighted grey hornbill, rose-ringed parakeet, plum-headed parakeet, collared dove, spotted dove, grey-headed barbet, brown-capped woodpecker, cormorant and blue-tailed bee-eater.

Visitors also came across pugmarks and scat of wild animals.

They visited the Nature Education Centre at Bison Kunta and viewed photographs of different birds and animals.

FRO S.K. Baba Qadar Wali of Indhanpalli explained to school students the role of tigers in maintaining biodiversity and forests in producing oxygen and regulating the global water cycle.

Meanwhile, in Penchikalpet in Kagaznagar forest division of Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, forest officials organised a rally with school students from Ellur to Elkapalli village.

Forest officials created awareness among students about forests and wildlife and their role in preserving forests.

Penchikalpet deputy range officer Asma, forest section officer Ahmad Ali, Govind, beat officers Satish, Kalyan, Rakesh and Rathod Gokul, along with local students, participated in the rally.