A conservation programme targeted at changing children’s mindsets towards wildlife
The Hindu
The programme is free for adivasi students and children from government schools. For private schools, a fee of ₹350 is charged per student
The Forest Department has launched a campaign to change the mindsets of children from communities that have a high number of problematic interactions with animals in the region.
The eco-ambassador programme, at the Gene Pool Eco Development Committee, currently has more than 160 children enrolled in it, including children from adivasi communities, apart from school students from government and private schools.
G. Prasad, Forest Range Officer, Nadugani Range, said the programme was started after two local adivasi children had bought rice from their pocket money to feed to the captive elephants from the Theppakadu Elephant Camp that were being used to drive away wild elephants entering human habitations in the region. The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Coimbatore Circle), at the time had sanctioned the programme, to include more students.