They are the forest heroes

It is quite motivating the Karnataka is doing and recognising the unsung heroes of the Forest Department. Forest guards and foresters who are the foundations of the department  walks thousand of kilometers to protect the Forest ( Green Gold) Wealth of the country and the natural sinks of Carbon  dioxide for mitigating the  Climate Change. How many states have recognised their services and pat them on their back for their commendable services. Karnataka has set the example. why can't other states do this?????

Guards, Experts, Officials Feted With Jumbo Awards

 Chandrakant R Naik has explored every nook and corner of the 1,098-sqkm Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve in Uttara Kannada district on foot. And the treks during his 12 years of service as a forest guard have given him an encyclopaedic knowledge of the forest. The Class 12-pass Naik can identify 250 trees with their scientific names and families, 45 species of butterflies, 31 snakes and eight different types of frogs. 

    After being honoured with the title of ‘Foot Soldier of Karnataka’ at the Jumbo Wildlife Awards function held on Friday at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall here, Chandrakant said he is neither a biologist nor a botanist, but shared the passion of both. He said he had rescued 187 snakes and got his hands on as many as 21 poachers till date. 
    “Our job is very risky and narrow escapes are the order of the day. I remember rescuing a King Cobra in Dandeli a few years ago. I caught the snake by its neck, but while putting it inside the bag, my hand got entangled with the cobra. It was one of the many chilling moments I’ve had in these forests,” Chandrakant said. 
    The second edition of Kumble Foundation Jumbo Awards recognized many more reallife heroes like Chandrakant, for their outstanding contribution towards conservation of forest and wildlife. Forest minister CP Yogeshwar said the government will institute similar awards for people who contribute to the conservation of forest and wildlife. 
    The event, organized by Kumble Foundation in association with Biocon Foundation, also witnessed the IPL Bangalore cricket team attending the event and extending full support. 
    BK Singh, principal chief conservator of forests – wildlife, said the tremendous growth in human population is one of the reasons responsible for increasing man-animal conflicts. “Population growth and loss of habitat, connectivity and corridors are reasons responsible for the increasing number of such conflicts. A few years ago, we had 5m wide roads linking places like Kerala and Ooty, today we have four- or six-lane roads replacing them.” 
THE AWARDEES Foot Soldiers of Karnataka 
    C Sadashivam, forester, Kollegal Range, BRT Wildlife Sanctuary 
    Chandrakant R Naik, forest guard, Kulagi Wildlife Range, Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve 
    HH Venkatesha, daily wage employee, Alur taluk, Hassan 
Exemplary Range Forest Officer 
    Sangamesh N Prabhakar, RFO, Hediyala Range, Bandipur Tiger Reserve 
    GR Shashidhar, RFO, Gopalaswamy Betta Range, Bandipur Tiger Reserve 
Wildlife Leadership Award 
    Team Aranya, an NGO 
Exceptional Applied Conservation Scientist 
    Dr MD Madhusudhan, director, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore 
Outstanding Civil Servant 
    Bishwajit Mishra, director, e-governance, Bangalore 
Lifetime Achievement Award Dr Ullas Karanth, for his unparalleled contribution to conservation and wildlife protection 
Jumbo Award Wildlife filmmaker duo Krupakar and Senani

GOOD JOB: Jumbo Wildlife Award winners are greeted by cricketer Anil Kumble in Bangalore on Friday. Minister C P Yogeshwar and Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw look on

Link TOI