Hyderabad: 80 forest officers undergo training to address wildlife crimes

The workshop aimed to empower forest officers with the knowledge and skills to effectively address wildlife crimes (like illegal trade, hunting and poaching) and human-animal conflict.

Hyderabad: In collaboration with Telangana State Forest Academy (TSFA), Humane Society International/India (HSI) organized a half-day workshop to sensitize nearly 80 forest officers on the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, including the recent amendment in 2022, in Hyderabad.

The workshop aimed to empower forest officers with the knowledge and skills to effectively address wildlife crimes (like illegal trade, hunting and poaching) and human-animal conflict.

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Sumanth Bindumadhav and Shubhra Sotie from HSI/India’s wildlife team facilitated discussions and trained the forest officers on topics like investigations into wildlife crimes, application of the most relevant sections of the act, interpretation of the act in various scenarios, and the challenging facets of human-wildlife conflict and its mitigation.

“Empowering forest officers with comprehensive knowledge of wildlife laws and illegal trade is pivotal in amplifying our efforts to protect wildlife. We aim to foster networking and collaboration among forest officers, enforcement agencies, and conservation organizations to strengthen the animal protection movement in India,” says Mousumi Gupta, Director (Government Affairs), HSI.

The initiative is a part HSI/India’s commitment to building a more compassionate society by collaborating with key stakeholders and empowering law enforcement officials with the knowledge and tools needed to enforce animal protection laws effectively. Since 2013, HSI/India has trained over 1,200 law enforcement officials annually on animal protection laws.

If you witness a wildlife crime, you can report it to the nearest police station or call 1800 425 5364, a toll-free number by the Telangana Forest Department.