BMC-run schools to have 'Waghoba tiger Club': From nature trails to raising awareness on wildlife, what's in the pipeline

Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackerey on Wednesday announced that BMC-run schools will have their own ‘Waghoba (tiger) Clubs’. Thackeray made the announcement after unveiling a colourful tiger sculpture in August Kranti Maidan to mark the completion of 200 years of the last tiger sighting at Gowalia Tank. What is a Waghoba Club and how does it connect with tiger sighting at Gowalia Tank, let’s take a look: – The idea of a Waghoba Club is to create wildlife awareness among school students run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). – Members of Waghoba Clubs will include students of all classes. Apart from organising activities in school to create awareness about wildlife, Waghoba Club will also arrange nature trails for students. – According to the Indian Express, a BMC education officer Rajesh Kankal said that a trip to Sanjay Gandhi National Park is also in the pipeline. – The reports said that the education department has made a provision of Rs 31 lakh in its annual budget for awareness of wildlife and biodiversity. – The August Kranti Maidan was earlier named Gowalia Tank Maidan. The ground was built atop the large water tank where cowherds used to bathe their cows, according to a report by Mid-Day. – The area surrounding Gowalia Tank was covered in wilderness. As per a report by the Times of India, in 1822 a tiger presumably trotted down Malabar Hill, came down to Gowalia Tank to quench his thirst and ran off again. – It has since been touted as the last sighting of a tiger in Mumbai, however, that is not entirely correct. – Even though the sprawling Sanjay Gandhi National Park is part of Mumbai’s biodiversity, tiger sightings have been very rare. – In 2003, pug marks and droppings of a Bengal tiger in Sanjay Gandhi National Park was widely reported. – Before 2003, a tiger was spotted in 1929 near Vehar Lake, Salsette. Unfortunately, the big cat was shot dead by JJ Sutari. – These three remain the only tiger sightings in Mumbai in the last 200 years, hence, with the announcement of ‘Waghoba Club’ in schools the state government aims to create wildlife awareness among young students. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.