A painting by Garmina Upadhyay from Nainital
New Delhi, October 6, 2012: Thousands of schools across the country, including 200 in Guwahati, will be participating in the world’s biggest animal-centric educational programme – the International Fund for Animal Welfare AnimalAction Education (IFAW-AAE) beginning this wildlife week.
Students of the 200 schools in Guwahati are currently being sensitised on issues facing elephant conservation at the four-day event organised at the Regional Science Centre that began on October 4 on the occasion of the World Animal Day.
IFAW-AAE is simultaneously conducted in 16 countries across the world. In India, it is coordinated by IFAW’s Indian partner – the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). The theme for the Animal Action Education this year is ‘Elephants Never Forget’. It was kicked off by actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio on October 1, calling for the world community to step up efforts to save elephants from poaching and illegal ivory trade.
Schoolgirls take part in the AAE activities in Guwahati
“Elephants are key stones species that help in maintaining the forest ecosystem. They help in dissemination of seeds, creating roads for other animals in the forest… in short they act like machines of forest helping in conservation,” said Dr Parimal Chandra Bhattacharjee, Executive Trustee – WTI.
AAE involves providing free activity packs on the selected annual theme as guidelines for teachers to conduct the activities. It also provides a documentary on elephants for screening among the students.
The theme activity packs will provide an insight into the world of elephants as well as the threats faced by them including poaching, habitat fragmentation and conflicts with people.
The specially designed modules introduce the learner to the world of elephants and threats they face by engaging the student in role-plays, art, creative writing and experiential learning.
