As per the forest department, the mascot will not only play an important role in attracting the younger generation towards conservation but will also be used to spread awareness in form of stories and comic strips.
Kanha Tiger Reserve has become the first tiger reserve in India to introduce a mascot of its own, and it's not one of its famous tigers, but 'Bhoorsingh the Barasingha'.
As per the forest department, the mascot will not only play an important role in attracting the younger generation towards conservation but will also be used to spread awareness in form of stories and comic strips.
Sanjay Shukla, Field Director of Kanha Tiger Reserve said the idea of having a mascot emerged during a conversation with award-winning cartoonist and illustrator Rohan Chakravarty in February, who then came up with the caricature of a Barasingha (swamp deer) and decided to name it Bhoorsingh.
"Kanha is famous for its tigers and Barasingha. While it would have been easier to simply choose a tiger as a mascot, we instead decided on a Barasingha as this subspecies of hard ground is not only found in Kanha, but also its conservation is one of the biggest wildlife success stories of India," he said, adding that it was good conservation practises coupled with grassland management by the forest department that saw the population, which was on the brink of extinction in the 70's, to increase to more than 800 now.
Shukla states that that the younger generation is extremely digital-savvy and they connect quickly with creative concepts, and in this age to spread awareness, one has to use innovative methods.
"Using the caricature of Bhoorsingh we will help people build a bond with forest and also emphasise how Barasingha or other species seen in the forest are as important as a tiger. We will also use him to narrate stories aimed at creating awareness on issues like man-animal conflict, safeguarding forests and wildlife among others. There are plans to also come up with comic strips," he said adding that these creative messages will not only be seen across Kanha by tourists but also on social media.
Keeping in mind the 'selfie-loving' tourists visiting Kanha, the forest department also plans to have selfie points with life-size cutouts of Bhoorsingh at key locations like interpretation centres and gates.
"It's a very refreshing and an innovative move. Visiting the forest and seeing the age-old boring messages painted on the walls asking people to save the forest and wildlife hardly has any connect these days," said Mumbai-based wildlife enthusiast, Prashant Rane.
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