As we humans ‘develop’, we are becoming less tolerant or willing to share our space with other creatures. And as our population expands, there is correspondingly less and less space for animals.
Snakes are the often the first to feel this, and are being increasingly killed if they are found near human habitation. In response to this we have created an animal rescue centre in Gudalur. It primarily involves rescuing snakes and other wild fauna that get stuck in areas of human habitation and releasing them back into Mudumalai. However, in keeping with our larger agenda of creating awareness on the need to conserve nature, we also use this centre as way of achieving this. Though classroom sessions/exposure trips are imperative, talking about conserving wildlife with a live specimen stuck within human habitation is much more effective. This centre uses rescued animals as a means of attracting local media channels and press to highlight the need to conserve. The message is much more powerful in a real context, centred around, say a live cobra.
