Positive feedback was shared by the Primary Response Team (PRT) of Korambi village in Ghodajhari which was trained by SLTP partner TRACT as a part of their Tiger Ambassadors program.
The team mentioned, “One of our PRT members encountered a tiger near our village. He spread his arms, made himself seem bigger and shouted loudly. He learned this technique during one of our trainings conducted by TRACT and hence our learning during the session helped us in avoiding conflict.
Earlier, before the awareness sessions and the formation of Primary Response Teams, people used to go alone to collect minor forest produce. Now, community members go to the forest in bigger groups for collection, which helps prevent conflict with wildlife.”
About the initiative:
With the help of this program, the Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT) team aims to select and prepare a team of Tiger Ambassadors (TAs) from the local community who play the role of conservation leaders. These TAs help mitigate conflict situations and support the forest department by undertaking conservation actions like fighting forest fires, preparing fire lines, patrolling, reporting wildlife movements, helping cattle owners in applying for compensation during cattle kills, and creating awareness among their fellow community members on a voluntary basis.