Pune: The 3rd edition of the Wildlife Festival for Kids will be held in Pune on Saturday, January 10, with a clear focus on introducing young audiences to wildlife conservation through stories, films, and lived experiences from the field. The festival will take place from 4 pm to 9 pm at Bougainvillea Farms on DP Road.Organised jointly by city-based Jungle Belles and Nature Walk Charitable Trust, the festival is designed as an interactive platform that moves beyond textbook learning. This year’s edition is Tadoba special, centring on the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and the people, animals, and systems that sustain it.
The evening will open with an introductory film on the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve by wildlife filmmaker Nalla Muthu, setting the context for discussions on tiger habitats and conservation challenges.The programme is supported by the Pune Forest Division and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and brings together forest officials, authors, filmmakers, and conservation practitioners.“There is a large chunk of Puneites who go for the jungle safaris, and Tadoba is very dear to most of them. It is said that Tadoba attracts a large number of tiger lovers from the city of Pune every year. Tigers of Tadoba is always a topic of discussion amongst the tiger lovers of Pune, so we decided to have this edition of the Wildlife Festival for Kids as a Tadoba special one,” said Hemangi Vartak, founder of Jungle Belles.She added, “The festival aims at sensitising young minds about wildlife protection and conservation of forests.”One of the key sessions will be led by Kushagra Pathak, Deputy Director in charge of buffer zones at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, who will speak about the creation and management of buffer areas. The buffer zones around Tadoba are home to an estimated population of over 2 lakh people and around 200 tigers, making coexistence a central conservation challenge. Pathak’s session will focus on how community participation plays a critical role in sustaining wildlife corridors.Storytelling will form a major part of the festival. Author Anant Sonwane will conduct a session centred on Maya, one of Tadoba’s most iconic tigresses who passed away in 2023. Dr Ravikant Khobragade, veterinary officer at the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, will share first-hand accounts of rescue operations, drawing from his experience of being involved in the rescue and capture of over 60 tigers. Wildlife filmmaker Sumesh Lekhi will trace the lineage of some of Tadoba’s best-known tigers through the Tiger Legacy film series.A highlight of the evening will be a performance by Sumedh Waghmare, popularly known as the birdman of Tadoba, who is known for mimicking the calls of over 200 birds and animals.
