“The Kattunayakans, for example, a traditional hunter-gatherer tribe, would never plant a cash crop like bananas, since ‘elephants would eat it, of course’. They think it’s perfectly natural for elephants to come through their land and eat whatever they find. But for many of the newer immigrants into the region this is completely unacceptable, and they think elephants are a huge problem. Such nuances are frequently lost on biologists, conservationists and the media.” – Tarsh Thekaekara (Director, Shola Trust) in “Can elephants and humans live together?” (The Guardian, 6 March 2017)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/06/can-elephants-and-humans-live-together
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=22634
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On first sight, says Lakshmanan, he was appalled at their condition. “They had nothing. The education and health conditions of the people were very bad. They had no community certificates,” he says. Lakshmanan left with a heavy heart, only to come back again and again. He accompanied members of the Tamil Nadu Pazhankudi Makkal Sangam, … Read more
Keeping man-animal conflict at bay Lookout towers have been put up inside Neyyar, Peppara, and Agasthyavanam forests to spot wild animals. At 6 a.m. on all days, except Sunday, Bhagavan Kani, a forest tribal, clambers up a narrow bamboo ladder to get to a watch house atop a tall tree deep inside the Neyyar Wildlife … Read more
“The whole idea of getting involved with the various Adivasi tribes of India is to showcase their art to the world through the medium of animation. This is why the Adivasi Arts Trust was set up. To help preserve and promote their culture through this medium,” says secretary of the Adivasi Arts Trust, Tara Douglas. … Read more