This project provides free distribution of 5000 Illustrative Books on Pangolin for students in Konkan region, Maharashtra, India. Pangolins, the only scaly, ant-eating mammals known to the world are rapidly declining globally due to illegal secret killing for their scales & meat. As Pangolins are endangered species according to IUCN Red list 2014. SNM intends to involve school children's and students in the conservation of Indian pangolin through the Demonstrative Books on Pangolin.
Due to the lack of awareness among the local community about the importance of Pangolin, many problems occur in conservation. There have been three recent incidents of the seizure of Indian Pangolin scales in Chiplun taluka, Maharashtra, India. The consignments collectively weighed 57kg, implying that about 36 pangolins got killed brutally. Hence, SNM initiated community conservation through awareness involving school students by distributing systematically Pictographic Books.
Awareness and community involvement is an important tool in conservation. SNM focused awareness in school students through demonstrative Book on Pangolin which is 32-page storybook of curious baby pangolin with mother pangolin. Each student will get aware of food, habitat, threat, and importance of Pangolin through attractive images and story in local Marathi language. This 5000 student will take these books to their family, neighbor, friends, and awareness will reach to maximum people.
Awareness activities would help in the initiation of community efforts through school students for the conservation of the Indian Pangolin. This would also yield local community rangers who would monitor all the activities for curbing the secret killings. Awareness in students takes conservation in the long term as they are the future generation of conservation.