NASHIK: The Nashik West forest department was able to collect 590 slingshots from children of various villages in a month through a special initiative. Buoyed by the success of this programme, the department plans to replicate it in other areas.
Anand Reddy, the assistant conservator of forest of Nashik West, had launched the unique initiative in the first week of June.
“Children from 68 villages voluntarily surrendered their slingshots to the forest teams after forest department teams convinced them to desist from using slingshots as they can painfully injure birds,” he said.
He added that the forest teams worked relentlessly, visiting villages despite inclement weather, on weekends and even at night. They could win over these children and successfully convince them and the village elders that birds are an integral part of the environment system. “These children have promised not to touch the slingshots again,” said Reddy.
He claimed that in many villages, the children themselves have now started a movement to see to it that no one in their neighbourhoods uses slingshots to kill birds.
Nashik forest officials said that killing of birds using slingshots is a serious issue and there is a decline of various species of bird population in Nashik forest owing to habitat loss and hunting. There are about 250 various species of birds found in Nashik, which houses one Ramsar site and three important bird areas.
“Our pilot project at Peth was a success. We are now going to replicate this project in three other forest ranges of Nashik West, including Nanashi, Barhe and Harsul. The initiative will make the gullible villagers, particularly children, understand the importance of the existence of birds. It will see a rise in bird population in Nashik in the future,” Reddy hoped.
