Wildlife Week 2026: AAF with KFD, Hanur Range

As part of the 72nd Wildlife Week celebrations, the Karnataka Forest Department, Hanur Range, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, invited Adavi Alert Foundation (AAF) to conduct wildlife awareness programmes for college students. The programmes focused on human–elephant conflict, human–wildlife conflict, elephant corridors, forest and wildlife conservation, and snake ecology and snakebite awareness.

3 October | G.V. Gowda Government PU College, Hanur

The programme began with a field-oriented demonstration by the Hanur Range Forest Department team. RFO Mahadev, along with the DRFO and forest watchers, introduced students to the equipment used for forest management, forest-fire monitoring and other field operations, giving them an insight into the work involved in protecting and managing the forest.

AAF followed this with a live drone demonstration, showing students how drones can support the monitoring and management of human–elephant conflict and assist in wildlife rescue and capture operations involving scheduled species such as elephants, leopards and tigers.

The awareness session began with Raghuram R, senior conservationist and member of AAF, who spoke about the importance of forests and wildlife, and the role these ecosystems play in sustaining biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance.

This was followed by a Sarpamithra awareness session on snake ecology led by Pavan Joshi, author of Snakes of Mysore. The session covered the ecological role of snakes, snakebite prevention and responsible responses to snake encounters.

The programme concluded with Professor Kiran Vati K, who shared his experiences of wildlife and conservation through photography, offering students a visual perspective on documenting and understanding wildlife.

More than 100 students participated in the programme. As part of the outreach, AAF distributed elephant-themed pens to students and donated copies of Snakes of Mysore along with snakebite awareness posters to the college library.

5 October | Government PU College, Bandalli

The second programme was held at Government PU College, Bandalli, with nearly 100 students participating. The programme was attended by the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, along with the Range Forest Officer, DRFOs and forest watchers of Hanur Range.

The session focused on elephant corridors and human–wildlife conflict.

Raghuram R spoke about the importance of elephant corridors, their role in maintaining habitat connectivity, and the need to secure safe movement routes for elephants.

Pavan Joshi addressed the complexities of human–wildlife and human–elephant conflict, highlighting the importance of understanding wildlife behaviour, reducing conflict risks and using appropriate technology and field-based approaches to improve coexistence between people and wildlife.

A Sarpamithra awareness session was also conducted for the students, covering snake ecology, the ecological importance of snakes, snakebite prevention and appropriate responses to snake encounters.

The session was part of AAF’s ongoing Sarpamithra campaign across all 31 districts of Karnataka, aimed at building awareness about snakes, snakebite and coexistence. As part of the campaign, AAF donated copies of Snakes of Mysore along with snakebite awareness posters to the college library.

AAF sincerely thanks the Karnataka Forest Department, Hanur Range, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, for providing us with the opportunity to be part of the 72nd Wildlife Week and for creating a platform to connect young students with the realities of forest management, wildlife conservation and coexistence.