News: Training and Workshops

XXIX P.G. Diploma Course in Wildlife Management - Field Visits

Officer trainees at Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka.

During spring, several classroom and field related activities were conducted for officer trainees of the P.G. Diploma in Wildlife Management. The visits were conducted to different Protected Areas and Zoological Parks. For the first time, the officer trainees were taken to a neighbouring country i.e. Sri Lanka as part of their Management Tour from February 12-21, 2008.

The following visits were conducted during the reporting period: (i) One-day field trip to Dhanolti, Mussoorie on January 5, 2008. (ii) Management Tour to Kanha National Park (M.P.), Mysore Zoo, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary/National Park, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Annamalai, Anna Arignar Zoo & GIS Centre and various Protected Areas in Sri Lanka from January 28 to February 22, 2008. (iii) Field trip to Corbett National Park from February 28–March 2, 2008. (iv) Captive Management Tour to National Zoological Park (Delhi), Central Zoo Authority and Aravalli/ Yamuna Biodiversity Park from March 9-11, 2008. They also got an opportunity to meet the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Mrs. Sheila Dixit. (v) The Management Term Paper Exercise at Kaziranga National Park, Assam from March 12-21, 2008.

Officer trainees and faculty members met the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi.

All the teaching modules were covered. The evaluation of the officer trainees for each module was also completed. The module coordinators and resource persons assessed each trainee’s performance through a combination of classroom interaction, small assignments, workshop, seminars, group discussions, presentation of case studies and field practicals. Contact: anup@wii.gov.in

XXIII Certificate Course in Wildlife Management concluded

The XXIII Certificate Course in Wildlife Management concluded on

Shri S.C. Dey, Sec. Gen., Global Tiger Forum, New Delhi graced the Valedictory Function.

Shri Devinder Singh Dhadwal of Himachal Pradesh was declared the Best All Round Wildlifer.

Institute’s Prize in ‘Wildlife Management’ was presented to Shri Pradeep Bhandari, H.P.

Mr. Iding Achmad Haidir from Indonesia won the Institute’s Prize for the Best Foreign Officer Trainee.

 January 31, 2008. As integral part of the course, the Management Tour was conducted from January 2-21, 2008 in various parts of Gujarat viz. Gujarat Ecological & Educational Research (GEER) Foundation, Gandhinagar; Kamla Nehru Zoological Park and Centre for Environment Education at Ahmedabad; Nalsarovar Wildlife Sanctuary, Wild Ass Sanctuary, Marine National Park, Pirotan, Okha, Sakkarbagh Zoo and Gir National Park in Saurashtra and Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The objective of this tour was to provide first-hand experience of various management practices related to habitat management, endangered species management, wildlife protection, captive management, eco-development, wildlife interface conflicts and eco-tourism. During the tour, the emphasis was on the study of wide range of management practices and problems in India’s Protected Areas. Prior to end of the course, the Viva-Voce and feedback session for officer trainees were held on January 29-30, 2008.

Valedictory function was organized on January 31, 2008. Dr. R.D. Jakati, Additional PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden, Haryana was the Chief Guest of the function and Shri S.C. Dey, Secretary General, Global Tiger Forum, New Delhi graced the occasion as Guest of Honour.

All 16 officer trainees successfully completed the course. The Honours Certificate was awarded to seven officer trainees, who secured 75% or more marks. The Institute’s prize for the Best All Round Wildlifer was bagged by Shri Devinder Singh Dhadwal of Himachal Pradesh. The Institute’s Prize in ‘Wildlife Management’ was awarded to Shri Pradeep Bhandari, Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Iding Achmad Haidir from Indonesia won the Institute’s Prize for the Best Foreign Officer Trainee. The Wildlife Conservation Medal for the Top Trainee of the Course was awarded to Shri Devinder Singh Dhadwal. Contact: udhayan@wii.gov.in

Training course for middle level officers in Indian Zoos, Ahmedabad, January 9-18, 2008. This training course was organised by the Wildlife Institute of India at Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden,

The participants were taken to Gir National Park, Junagadh for the field visit.

Ahmedabad, acting as the local host. The Central Zoo Authority provided financial support for the course. The course had twenty-two participants from twenty-one zoos of the country. The course was inaugurated by Shri Pradeep Khanna, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Gujarat. The theme of the programme was ‘Marketing and Fund-raising’ and ‘Education’. Besides this, other subject areas like Population Management, Health Care & Sanitation and Zoo Management were covered. Three field visits were conducted for the benefit of the trainees i.e. Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden, Ahmedabad; Gir National Park, Junagadh; and Sakkarbaug Zoo, Junagadh. The Valedictory Function of the course was presided by Shri Z.A. Sacha, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Contact: anupam@wii.gov.in

4^th Certificate Course in Wildlife Management for forest guards of Uttarakhand Forest Department, Dehradun, February 4-5, 2008. The two-day course was organized at the Institute in collaboration with the Uttarakhand Forest Department for the forest guards from Corbett Wildlife Training Centre, Kalagarh (Garhwal). Twenty forest guards participated in the course. The aim of the course was to educate and sensitize them towards wildlife management and biodiversity conservation. During the course, classroom sessions were conducted on various issues related to wildlife management. Contact: uniyalvp@wii.gov.in  

Training workshop on “Enforcement of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and India’s International Obligations” for Enforcement Agencies, Dehra Dun, February 4-8, 2008. Wildlife poaching has always been considered as one of the major challenges of wildlife conservation issues. For effective conservation, it was realized to involve other enforcement agencies such as Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in addition to the Forest Departments to prevent any illegal activity in wildlife trade at national as well as International level. In view of this, a five-day training workshop for seven officers from different enforcement agencies was conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India.

Dr. J.R. Sharma BSI, Dehradun describing plant characteristics for identification.

The aim of the training workshop was to sensitize the enforcement officers on the extent and kind of wildlife trade, conservation threats to species, various Acts and International Obligations for controlling illegal trade of wildlife parts, different aspects of crime detection and prevention, documentation and identifying species from various parts and products of fauna and flora.

The course was inaugurated by Shri P.R. Sinha, Director, Wildlife Institute of India. Shri Ashok Pai, Joint Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Govt. of India; Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh; Shri S. Sinha, Head,TRAFFIC-India; Shri K. Kumar, IGP, CID Crime and Rlys, Gujarat State, Gujarat; Shri A. Yash, SSP, Special Task Force, U.P. and Shri R. Pandey, DFO Bahraich, U.P. shared their experiences on theme of the workshop. Ms. Belinda Wright, Executive Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India, New Delhi also shared her experiences regarding national and international ramifications of illegal trade in tiger products.

Trainees had “Hands-on-training” on identifying wildlife parts. Specific topics related to trade and identification for plant parts, reptiles and butterflies were covered. They were also taken to Rajaji National Park for interaction with Park Managers. Contact: goyalsp@wii.gov.in

Training workshops on “Building capacity in managing wild animas in distress”, Lucknow, February 19–24, 2008. Three consecutive 2-day training workshops on “Building capacity in managing wild animals in distress (Immobilization, Rescue and rehabilitation)” were jointly organized by Wildlife Institute of India and Uttar Pradesh Forest Department at Lucknow Zoo, Lucknow. A total of 45 participants including Protected Area managers and frontline staff from various forest divisions of Uttar Pradesh participated in the workshops. The workshops were organized with the objective of enhancing capacities locally to deal with wildlife emergencies. The workshops provided exposure to the participants on various options and procedures available for scientific, ethical and professional management of wild animals in distress. Besides the faculty members of the Institute, eminent practicing veterinarians and wildlife managers were invited as resource persons. The training methodology included interactive lectures, case study presentations, hands-on exercise and experience sharing session of the participants. Contact: nigamp@wii.gov.in 

WII at the All India Forest Sports Meet

A contingent of 24 officials represented WII in seven events viz., Hockey, Carrom, Rifle Shooting, Billiards, Chess, Lawn Tennis, and Table Tennis in the XVI All India Forest Sports & Games Meet (AIFS&GM) conducted by the Forest Department, Gujarat at Gandhinagar (Gujarat) from February 1-5, 2008. Shri H.C.S. Rajwar from WII, a distinguished sportsman in various disciplines and events, secured the “Bronze” medal in the Table Tennis (Senior Veteran category) in the Forest Meet. The Institute is proud of the achievement of Shri Rajwar. Contact: udhayan@wii.gov.in