The Udhagamandalam south forest range conducted an awareness campaign at the Ithalar high school here.
Forest department officials stated that the outreach programme was conducted under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR). The staff conducted various programmes among school students to drive home the message of the factors driving negative human-animal interactions in the Nilgiris, and what local residents can do to prevent such interactions from taking place.
Apart from discouraging residents from venturing into nearby forest areas after dark, the forest staff also spoke about the reasons as to why there were many negative interactions between humans and bears in Ithalar. The staff explained that due to inadequate and improper waste disposal in the area, sloth bears were drawn towards human settlements in Ithalar, leading to chances of more negative human-animal interactions.
