Wildlife Trust of India provides rice to families hit by man-animal conflict in Arunachal

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: In order to mitigate the crops loss around the Pakke Tiger Reserve in the Pakke Kessang district of Arunachal Pradesh due to human-animal conflicts, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in collaboration with State's forest department, on Monday distributed rice to 52 families under the programme 'grain for grain', a senior WTI official said.

Each family who suffered crop loss due to human-animal conflict received 100 kg of rice under the programme, initiated since 2006, Dr Panjit Basumatary, manager of Bear Rehabilitation Centre under the WTI at PTR, informed.

"So far rice was provided to nearly 400 families since the programme was launched in 2006," Basumatary said.

He added that the programme is aimed to provide help to the families living near the tiger reserve, which lost their agriculture produce and livestock properties due to man-animal conflict.

"WTI is helping the forest department in creating awareness, bear rehabilitation and bringing community together in conservation of wildlife besides extending mobile veterinary services to the rescued wildlife," he added. The programme, which was held at Seijosa on the west bank of Pakke Tiger Reserve, was attended by Pakke-Kessang MLA Biyuram Wahge, who also donated an amount of Rs 50,000 to the beneficiaries, the official said, adding that an ex-gratia amount of Rs 1 lakh was also given by the department to the family of Ramu Kharia, a mahout who died on duty.

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