Pench Pench Mitra Project
Pench, Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh, a state with a huge presence of forests and wildlife.
The goal was to reduce the agricultural loss of farmers due to wild animals coming into their fields and eating/destroying their crops. Animals like deer and wild boar would enter the fields at night foraging for food. Continuous encroachment showed that farmers would lose upto 50% of their crop yield which is a huge loss. The farmers used to use drastic methods to stop the animals from entering the fields. Electric fences were a common device used. It resulted in many animals getting electrocuted. This was not an ideal situation on either side.
The solution was the creation of the animal squad team. They would patrol the fields at night and harmlessly redirect the animals back into the forests and stop them from entering the agricultural fields. Using methods like loud sounds and firecrackers which were burst at safe distances, the animals would be diverted away.
Patrolling was done everyday all night. Teams were placed in the most affected areas and over time it was seen that slowly the situation was proving successful. The animals were safeguarded and the farmers were also not losing their crops. The loss was brought down to almost zero within a couple of years on both sides.
The Pench Mitra project was a complete success.
To carry on a project like this requires a lot of planning and there is a lot of hardship. It’s a very tough and hazardous job. Risks are huge, confronting wild animals, harsh work conditions, long hours at night, facing the weather elements head on. Monsoon and winters were the worst seasons to patrol at night. There were few rests during the shifts. The squad members were equipped with a torch, a searchlight, firecrackers, a drum to beat and a stick.
Saving Tiger Society with Tiger Awareness provided the equipment and were part of the patrolling team. There is a popular demand for the return of this project as the results were so positive.
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