WWF India extended COVID-19 emergency support to provide ration kits to villagers of three Forest Villages in Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and the frontline staff and temporary staff of the sanctuary. The support was coordinated through MP Tiger Foundation Society and facilitated by Mr. Naveen Garg, Divisional Forest Officer, Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS). The distribution of ration kits has started and is expected to be completed in a couple of days. The ration kits will be distributed to 150 tribal families and 350 forest department field and temporary staff manning the park, including temporary camps for fire watchers.

Mr. Garg shared some photographs (below) of the ongoing ration kit distribution process and messaged that the villagers and staff were very appreciative of the ration kit since it has become very difficult for them to access ration shops during the ongoing lockdown.

NWS is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh covering about 1197 sq.km. spread over parts of Sagar, Damoh, Narsinghpur and Raisen districts. The MP Forest Department had introduced a pair of tigers from Bandhavgarh TR and Kanha TR in 2018 in an effort to establish an additional site to accommodate tigers. The tigress has since delivered a litter and the sanctuary staff are monitoring them very closely.