the Last league

In a recent television commercial for a chocolate brand,a boy lazing around in a park notices two squirrels engage in a romantic song-and-dance sequence and the tagline suggests that only once in a while does life give you a chance to witness something as amusing. Leave alone the animated song and dance,the mere sight of squirrels playing about is enough to lighten one’s spirit. An even lovelier sight is that of a Shekru,an Indian species of the giant squirrel found in the Western Ghats. But according to the findings by the Ministry of Environment and Forests,the Shekru is a species that is is likely to face extinction if serious conservative measures are not taken immediately.

Swinging into action to save the species,the Department of Environment,Government of Maharashtra,is organising a Shekru festival to raise awareness about the animal and promote its conservation. To be inaugurated on July 1,the festival will see participation by students from schools and colleges in various quizzes,art and craft competitions and exhibitions about the Shekru. The event will go on for 15 days while the conservative efforts will be an ongoing process. “We want to reach out to schools and colleges to spread awareness about the animal and the threat to the species. We encourage them to come up with projects which will help conserve their habitat,” said Sachin Ahir,Minister of State for Environment.

Shekru Festival is being arranged by Centre for Environment Education (CEE) on behalf of the State’s environment department. Students and teachers from about 30 schools that are part of the Western Ghats Eco-clubs Scheme of the State’s Environment Dept,and located in the Sahyadris will participate in the Shekru festival.

Ahir shared that even though the Kaas plateau and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary in Satara district,Chandoli National Park in Sangli and Radhanagri Wildlife Sanctuary in Kolhapur are listed as World Heritage sites by UNESCO,the wildlife inhabiting the Western Ghats,including Shekrus,are decreasing by the day. “Every year we come up with a different theme and this year we settled on the Shekru. It is a beautiful creature and an endangered species. We are making efforts to conserve the habitat for them but we also want the youth to take up the cause and pitch in,” says Ahir,who feels that more brains put together can come up with better and more innovative ideas.