2011 WILDLIFE GUIDE TRAINING PROGRAMME

Following on from the 2010’s TOFT members sponsored training, TOFT have again teamed up with the respected Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) in Bhopal and run a residential training courses for Park Guides. The course is not for those directly employed by lodges (who often arrange their own training programmes) but rather for those guides directly attached to Madhya Pradesh’s Tiger reserves, who otherwise have limited access to professional field studies training; and who have in the past had to rely on their own experience in the field.

The training camp was a 3 week long Field guiding course with a mix of classroom and outdoor studies. The second annual course, of what is an annual programme, started on 15th August 2011 with a further 25 carefully chosen Park Guides from Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger reserves. The course finished in early September, and was greatly appreciated by all the Guides.

We look forward to enjoying the results when guided in the field. Huge thanks to our generous supporters too.

Click here to view the field report

2010 WILDLIFE GUIDE TRAINING PROGRAMME

The thrill and excitement of going into a National Park filled with all wildlife that India has to offer is something all visitors, young and old, look forward to.

TOFT is keen to further enhance these experiences by helping raise standards for those interpreting its extraordinary natural history. We believe that by enriching the knowledge and communication skills of the park guides we can vastly improve visitors’ experiences. Furthermore it can enable park guides to better understand and control the tourism pressures on the wildlife, as well as encourage them to champion the natural environment to both visitors and local communities alike.

Our aim is to help all visitors appreciate an adventure into these wildernesses as much more than just a chance to see a tiger.

To this end, TOFT has teamed up with the respected Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) in Bhopal and run the first residential training courses for Park Guides. The course is not for those directly employed by lodges (who often arrange their own training programmes) but rather for those guides directly attached to Madhya Pradesh’s Tiger reserves, who otherwise have limited access to professional field studies training; and who have in the past had to rely on their own experience in the field.

The training camp was a 6 week long Field guiding course with a mix of classroom and outdoor studies. The first course, of what we hope will be an annual programme, started on 4th September 2010 with 25 carefully chosen Park Guides from Pench, Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger reserves. The course finished in time for the reopening of the Parks.