By Tricitynews
Chandigarh 09th September:- Taj Safaris’ Walk with
the Pradhis is a pioneering new jungle experience by members of the local
Pardhi tribe in Panna National Park in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Taj
Safaris now supports training for the local hunting tribe – Pardhis, to
leverage their natural tracking talent to offer an immersive and interactive wilderness
experience to the travellers.
Panna National
Park, a wildlife reserve, had suffered devastating effects of poaching wherein
the Pardhi community, known for their jungle knowledge; was used for the
unlawful activities. Strict anti-poaching laws led to a significant increase in
tigers numbers but left the Pardhis to look for alternate sources of income. This
initiative will offer an
alternative to poaching and a new livelihood for future generation of Pardhis.
Taj
Safaris, Last Wilderness Foundation and the Panna Forest Department came
together to introduce a sustainable tourism initiative which is one of its kind
in India. Not only does it offer livelihood to the Pardhis as jungle guides but
also defines the future of conservation in the forest. The training programme
equips the participants with fine guiding techniques and enhances their already
existing knowledge of the bio-diversity and the forests in preparation for an
alternate livelihood. Since its inception two batches of Pardhi youth including
16 men and 4 women are engaged with Taj Safaris and several others in the
state’s tourism eco-system.
Nagendra
Singh Hada, Area Director, Taj Safaris said that we have harnessed the three
T’s – tigers, tribes and tourism to create a successful sustainable initiative.
Taj Safaris is celebrating the Pardhi’s understanding of the forests and
helping them leverage their knowledge to protect their fragile eco-system while
creating a new livelihood for the tribe in the tourism industry. Travellers can
now gain a deeper understanding of the forest life accompanied by a member of
the Pardhi tribe – a nomadic hunting tribe whose knowledge of the land is as
ancient as time.