Foot patrolling by forest staff stepped up in Kawal Tiger Reserve

Ensuring minimal human presence has increased animals at the waterholes, says DFO

“Feel the Forest!” is the simple but effective message that Divisional Forest Officer at Kawal Tiger Reserve S. Madhav Rao seems to have successfully put across to his tried and trusted staff to realise his dream of redefining the image and topography of the Reserve covering 13 sections and three Ranges. Posted to the office in 2019, Mr. Rao has used his technological background to start new trends not only in the conservation of the forest cover but also in ensuring that it is free from any disturbances from human beings. “This has not been an easy task. I had to take a lot of orientation classes for the staff (90 regular and some 100 outsourced). I keep telling them that unless you do foot patrolling around the forest, you will not know the ground reality,” Mr. Rao told The Hindu after the latest camera traps showed images of two pairs of leopards, a family of sloth bear and a pack of of jackals, among the many species that quenched their thirst at the waterholes.