SAVIOURS OF THE
WILDS
With a little bit of
initiative people can make life pretty exciting and in
the bargain help make this world a better place to live in...for
beings rational or otherwise. This interesting fact manifests
abundantly in the wonderful work done by the dynamic, young Goan
group known as GREEN CROSS.
WITH
conservation of Goa's depleting wild-life topping their priority
list, the young volunteers of the Green Cross have been involved in
a number of diverse activities throughout Goa. They have not
restricted their activities to giving talks on snakes and animals
alone. But their flying squads rescue wild animals in distress due
to accidents when their natural habitats are disturbed, and treat
the animals with care before being released in the forests or handed
over to the Forest Department.
They have a tiny
office called "But Naturally" in a side lane at the Dangui Colony in
Mapusa, since February 4. A valuable info centre on wild life in
Goa, through books and other publicity material, the office also
serves as an outlet for paintings, ceramics and other art-related
items, which fund their green activities.
The 40 odd
Green Cross team, led by fine art student Nirmal Kulkarni, fear
none, whether they keep a vigil in the deep forests of Sattari or
elsewhere to protect wildlife from poachers or when raiding the
hideouts where people keep the animals as pets. They ferret out
snake-charmers, who maim, torture and use reptiles for selfish ends.
Besides their top man Sunil Korajkar, a law student, quite a few of
the volunteers are experts at handling all types of snakes. They
frequently answer emergency calls when snakes accidentally slither
into someone's compound or house.
A shikra, a
civet cat, a barn owl, honey bees, a crocodile, black cobras, a
kite…a whole list of exotic wild life, which has been stalked and
pursued by many, has found a reliable saviour in the Green Cross.
Have a peep into their log from January 30 to March 7
alone.
- Jan 30: Shikra rescued from a Porvorim in Socorro.
- Feb 04: Palm Civet rescued in Mapusa.
Feb 07: Giant
Malabar Squirrel Feb 10: Barn Owl found in Khorlim,
Mapusa. Feb 14: Rat Snake caught in Panjim and released in the
forest. Feb 14: Pariah Kite rescued from a house in Betim and
handed over to the Forest Depart after being treated. Feb 07:
Peacock feather confiscated at the Anjuna Flea Market and handed
over to the Forest Dept. Feb 20: Crocodile rescued outside Ciba
factory in Corlim. Feb 22: Honey bees recovered from the
housing board colony in Mapusa and released in the wild. Feb
24: Spotted Owlet found in Keri, Sanquelim. Under
treatment. Feb 28: Black Cobras (3) confiscated from
snake-charmers at the Anjuna Flea Market.
- Mar 03: Python caught in Bastora and released in Valpoi.
The biggest python caught. It was 3.5 m long and weighed 27
kg.
Mar 05: Python recovered from a house in Peddem, Mapusa,
and released in Valpoi. Mar 07: Parrots (7) recovered from a
bird-seller at the Friday Bazaar in Mapusa and released in Peddem
and Tivim. Mar 07: ackal caught in Arpora. Under
treatment.
JD
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