Guwahati, Jan 8 : A skill development session on “Basic Tranquillization Technique for Wildlife” has been conducted today with presentation and demonstration by Padma Shri Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma, Professor and Head, Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Science, Assam for the students and faculty members of the Department of Zoology, University of Science & Technology Meghalaya. The programme was organized by USTM at the NKC Auditorium of the university.
Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma, fondly called as “Elephant Man of Asia”, highlighted all the topics including the man-animal conflict, purpose of immobilization, the debate on intervention of common people during the conservation, methods and precautions. He also described the basic necessities prior to tranquilization about knowing the physical properties of the animal and guidelines for carrying out the procedure in different animals.
Dr Sarma demonstrated the handling of all the equipments used during tranquilizations and vaccinations of wild animals. The session was followed by a passionate interactive session with the students. Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma also visited and appreciated the state of the art ‘Salim Ali Museum of Biological Diversity’ in the Zoology department of USTM, which is also open for educational purpose for the student community of the entire north-eastern region and beyond.
“It was indeed a fruitful and productive session which surely enhanced the knowledge and bridged the lacunae of wildlife techniques and challenges faced during rescue and rehabilitation programmes in young minds”, remarked Dr. Dipankar Dutta, Head of the Department of Zoology, USTM.