Animal Action Education activites at Guwahati
Guwahati, October 16, 2012: A four-day Animal Action Education awareness programme for school children was held at the Regional Science Centre – Guwahati on October 4-7. The four-day event witnessed almost 200 students from schools across Guwahati, like Army Public School, South Point School, Shrimanta Shankar Academy, Miles Bronson etc.
As part of the AAE, the students were made aware on the crises faced by the Asian elephant – the National Heritage Animal of India, through various activities such as art competitions, open house quiz competition, etc. A documentary film – ‘Elephants Never Forget’ – was also screened at the venue.
“Education on conservation is important, right from the grass root level,” said Pradipta Baruah, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Guwahati. Talking about wildlife conservation in India, he added, “Celebrating Wildlife Week is a great contribution towards conservation and plays a significant role in enlightening the upcoming generation.”
The 58th Wildlife Week celebrations were also held by the Forest Department assisted by IFAW-WTI at the Jharbari Forest Range, in Kokrajhar, Assam. At the day-long event, school children took part in the awareness procession along with the forest officials and later participated in cultural activities and documentary film screening.
A student at the Regional Science Centre participates in the competition
Flagging off the procession, C Ramesh, Divisional Forest Officer – Haltugaon, said, “Forest is the need for both wildlife and human beings; it is our prior responsibility to protect and preserve the forest and its habitat.”
Dr Panjit Basumatary, IFAW-WTI veterinarian based in Kokrajhar, said, “One of the most valuable resources that we Bodos own is our forests and wildlife. We need our children to understand the significance of this right from the early stages so that when they grow up, they step into our shoes to protect our natural heritage. That is the goal of the AAE here.”
