Sanctuary | Cover Story
Tongam has been an equally faithful ally to the Pakke
Tiger Reserve in Arunachal. She authored a series of articles,
reporting on illegal logging in and outside Pakke, which
shook the bureaucracy out of their slumber. Empathising
with the daily-wage front-line anti-poaching staff of the
park, Tongam published front-page articles detailing their
struggle. In fact, she fought alongside the staff to get their
jobs regularised as per the directives given by the National
Tiger Conservation Authority.
The tragedy of our times is that we must take sides.
Tongam chose hers. A bullet, surgeries and an ongoing long
recovery, this courageous journalist remains unstoppable. While
we can only salute her spirit, here is what fellow conservationist
and sister-in-arms, Nandini Velho had to say about her, “A
colleague from the Pakke Tiger Reserve Forest Department
called her ‘khatarnak’. Hers is exactly the kind of service we
ought to honour at a time when voices are muzzled and people
kneel when asked to bow.” Tongam Rina is the lion-hearted
woman from Arunachal Pradesh who refuses to give in.
And for this, we honour her. uADVTPandurang Pakhale
An iron man of the Maharashtra Forest
Department, he is presently posted at
the Pench Tiger Reserve as a Range
Forest Offi cer of East Pench Range. He
is responsible for the arrest of more than
a dozen tiger poachers. He has continued
investigations despite strong protests
and police complaints – the result of political clout and support
of fi sh mafi a for the poachers. His eff orts paid off when the
Honourable Bombay High Court, Nagpur bench rejected the bail
plea of the poachers. For Pakhale, such face off s are not unusual.
In January 2017, he took on pangolin traders and poachers whom
he took to court and stood up to political leaders who demanded
his arrest and transfer. He also busted monitor lizard poachers
and arrested eight of them in June 2017.
In his short service of three years in the Forest Department,
he has fi led 14 Preliminary Off ence Reports and booked 57
accused of wildlife crimes. His goal is simple and in his words,
“I am simply protecting the forest and wildlife for the next
generation including my 10-year-old daughter Dnyaneshwari.”
And for this, we honour him.Rajveer Singh Rajawat
Rajveer Singh is an unsung hero
who has spent 26 years in service of
protecting Rajasthan’s Ranthambore
National Park. He has played a pivotal
role in helping the Forest Department
arrest some of the most notorious
poachers operating in and around the
park. What is more, he has also aided the Ranthambhore wildlife
staff in rescuing straying wild animals in dangerous situations.
His critical help ended up rescuing 18 tigers, 21 leopards, 16
bears, 14 hyaenas, two pangolins and hundreds of other animals
in diff erent districts of Rajasthan. Even more heartening, he has
been able to help improve the relationship of local communities
with the Forest Department and is an example for every forest
guard in India to follow.
And for this, we honour him.
Hanuman Singh Gurjar
From monitoring straying tigers
to keeping a vigilant eye on illegal
activities, the breadth of his fi eldwork
is matched by his administration skills.
Serving as the core commander of
the Village Wildlife Volunteers, he
has played a key role in establishing
the programme, having trained as many as 50 volunteers to
assist in the task of protecting Ranthambhore’s invaluable
wildlife. A strong bridge between the local community and
forest offi cials, he has helped to sensitise close to 90 villages
about the benefi ts of forest ecosystems under a programme
organised by Tiger Watch. He exemplifi es the virtues that
we wish to see in all wilderness protectors. We salute his
unwavering spirit.
And for this, we honour him.
SPECIAL SANCTUARY TIGER AWARDS 2017
Unrelenting forest offi cers, persistent community members, brave foot soldiersGOVARDHAN MEENACOURTESY: TIGER WATCHCOURTESY:PANDURANGPAKHALE