Pilibhit: A 10-member Primary Response Team from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve will arrive at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Friday for a 10-day study tour to examine its ‘Bagh Mitra’ (Friends of Tigers) initiative aimed at mitigating human-tiger conflict through community participation.The visit follows a request from Prabhu Nath Shukla, field director of Chandrapur-based Tadoba reserve, to PTR director Pinaki Prasad Singh.The programme gained national attention in 2024 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted it in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, praising its role in involving local volunteers to reduce risks at the human-tiger interface.Launched around six years ago by WWF–India, the initiative has created a network of 130 volunteers in villages around PTR identified as vulnerable to tiger movement. These volunteers assist forest officials by quickly sharing information about tiger sightings in human habitations through mobile messaging platforms.PTR divisional forest officer Manish Singh said, “The visiting team will also be briefed on crowd management techniques during conflict situations, along with broader mitigation strategies.”
