Over 1700 school students attended a series of ‘Rhino Goes to School’ programmes organised in a few schools located in the proximity of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, the famed habitat of one-horned Indian rhinoceros, in Morigaon district of Assam last week.
Frontline biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak in collaboration with Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (PWLS) Authority conducted this series sensitisation programmes for young students with support from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) with the objective to impress these young minds about the importance of conservation of one-horned rhino, the State Animal of Assam that has significant ecological values attached to it.
The first programme of the series was conducted in Mayong Higher Secondary School on November 21 which was attended by approximately 450 students.
The programme’s primary goal was to raise students’ awareness on the need for conservation of one-horned rhino and its habitats. Participating students in the programme were provided with in-depth knowledge about the Greater one-horned rhino, so that they are enthused to make meaningful contributions towards conservation of the rhino.
The sensitisation programme included presentations on rhinos including basic details about the animal and its habitat, significance of rhino conservation considering its ecological importance. Arif Hussain, Manager of Aaranyak’s Rhino Research and Conservation Division (RRCD) conducted the programme.
The programme was inaugurated by Dhrubajyoti Nath, Additional SP, Morigaon district. Mr Nath talked about the significance of wildlife and encouraged the students to be proactive in the domain of wildlife conservation.
Pranjal Baruah, Range Officer of PWLS, enlightened the gathering about the rich biodiversity of the wildlife sanctuary.
The Headmaster and teachers of the school, Dharma Nath, Secretary -Mayong Thana Committee were also present in the programme.
The second ‘Rhino Goes to School’ programme of the series was conducted on November 22 for students of Shankardev Shishu Niketan and BuraBuri Higher Secondary school in the vicinity of PWLS.
About 850 students participated in the programme where Aaranyak official Arif Hussain made a lucid presentation to sensitise the students various aspects of rhinos, their importance to the environment and encourage the students to take lead in conservation of this iconic animal in whatever way they can.
Range Officer of PWLS, Pranjal Baruah enlightened the gathering about the rich biodiversity of PWLS. The programme also included an open quiz to maintain engagement of the students throughout.
Headmasters and teachers of the two schools, Forester-1 of PWLS Mitul Das, were also present in the programme.
The third “Rhino Goes to School” programme of the series was conducted on November 23 at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi High School located near the rhino hub of Pobitora WLS to create awareness about rhino and wildlife among the students.
The programme focused on providing a platform for building future stewards for conservation of rhinos in particular and wildlife in general. About 400 students participated in the programme that featured a power-point presentation on rhino, interaction and open quiz.
Aaranyak official Arif Hussain was the main resource person in the sensitisation programme where Range Officer of PWLS while Pranjal Baruah spoke about the rich biodiversity of PWLS. Headmaster and teachers of the school were present in the programme.
Aaranyak field officials Ujjal Bayan and Rahul Das were present in all the ‘Rhino Goes to School’ Programme of the series.
