Rapid Action Project (RAP) is a division of the Wild Aid programme that seeks to tackle conservation issues of urgent and critical need. The projects undertaken are generally short-term in nature and conservation worthy.
Its primary objective is to respond quickly to wildlife emergencies in the country by extending all round help to wildlife in crisis and distress.
It also seeks to set up a countrywide network of implementers to facilitate a prompt response to any conservation crisis.
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Drive slow: Elephants have right of way |
Prevention of Elephant Deaths Due to Train Hits in the Rajaji National Park
Railway lines passing through forests pose a constant threat to wildlife. In the last 18 years, the broad gauge railway track passing through the Rajaji National Park has killed 18 elephants. This is a crucial, and only, lines that connects Dehradun, the capital of the newly formed state of Uttaranchal, with the rest of the country. Reacting to one such accident, Wild Aid carried out a rapid study to assess the need for elephants to cross the line, to delineate the problem areas and to mitigate them. Water was found to be the major limiting factor in the summer months. In search of water, the animals had to cross a railway line that was full of blind turns and so constructed in stretches that animals had no escape route.
The study suggested simple and elementary measures such as increasing visibility on the track, joint patrolling by forest department and railways on vulnerable stretches during summer and removing hurdles that trapped elephants on the tracks. Active lobbying by WTI's officer in the field led to workshops for train drivers and guards, clearing of obstructions and vegetation along the railway tracks and sign boards on vulnerable stretches. WTI also cleaned choked water bodies so that more water was available during the crucial summer months. The measures have ensured no elephants died due to train hits after 2002 in Rajaji NP.
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Preserving traditions: With new lifestyles |
Changing Tribal Traditions to
Conserve Hornbills
For centuries, tradition forced Nyshi tribesmen in India's remote north eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh to hunt the hornbill and wear its beak on their heads as a signature of their tribe and, more importantly, to get married. Increasing Nyshi population ensured the decimation of three species of hornbills.
WTI joined a local NGO, Arunachal Wildlife and Nature Foundation (AWNF) to encourage the tribesmen to adopt artificial hornbill beaks to give a modern conservation twist to the tradition.
The beaks produced by WTI and distributed with the help of AWNF and the Arunachal Forest Department became so popular that WTI decided to turn this into a sustainable activity. Tying up with the National Museum of Natural History and the Nyishi Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society it trained select local artisans to produce this beak with the result that a centuries old tradition has turned into a commercially viable activity.
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Destruction caused by the tsunami |
Post Tsunami Assessment
Following the massive tsunami in 2004 that hit the south Asian coastline devastating parts of India, Wild Aid was able to quickly reach the sites for aid, and later for an assessment of the damage to the coastal ecosystems and came out with reports that were of use to the government in designing and prioritising post-tsunami packages. The survey also found huge damage to the coral reefs with virtually the entire Andaman coastline comprising of extensive beds of coral rubble, which was a cause of concern.
