16-06-2022
NSS volunteers of VKIDFT NSS unit has participated in a three day nature awareness camp conducted by Silent Valley National Park on 16th ,17th & 18th of June 2022. Camp was organized by Kerala Forest & Wildlife Department. A total of 48 students from both B. Tech Dairy technology and B. Tech Food technology of 2020 batch along with our programme officer Dr. Jose Mathew sir has participated in the camp.
DAY- 1
We started our journey at 11 am and reached the Mukkali forest division by 4pm in the evening. Wildlife Warden Nisha madam was our camp in charge. Firstly she gave us an introduction class about the nature camp. She divided us into 6 groups and gave us some assignments on plant, animal, bird, river and tribe diversity of silent valley and asked us to present it on the last day of the camp.
DAY-2
Around 7 O’clock in the morning we went for bird watching. We were really excited to see different varieties of birds through the binocular. After that we went for trekking in the forest. It was an entry to another world ! In this modern busy era a really good place to refresh mind and soul. After a 5km journey on foot we came to an amazing water fall inside the forest and spent some quality time there. In the afternoon, we went to Agali hills in Attappady and then reached Mukkali by evening. At night, Nisha Ma’am showed us a documentary on the history of silent valley.
DAY-3
Around 9 O’clock in the morning we went to a river Valley and shared our camp experience and thoughts. Also we read our group assignments front there. Our camp ended by 12 pm and we reached back to college by evening.
Silent Valley National Park is located in the Nilgiri hills, has a core area of 89.52 km2, which is surrounded by a buffer zone of 148 km2 . This national park has some rare species of flora and fauna. This area was explored in 1847 by the botanist Robert Wight. Bhavani River, a tributary of Kaveri River, and Kunthipuzha River, a tributary of Bharathappuzha river, originate in the vicinity of Silent Valley. Silent Valley is home to the largest population of lion-tailed macaques, an endangered species of primate. Occurrence of lion-tailed macaque is dependent on the flowering of Cullenia exarillata in the forest. Rare bird species found here include the Ceylon frogmouth and great Indian hornbill. The Mudugar and Irula tribal people are indigenous to the
area and do live in the adjacent valley of Attappady Reserved Forest. Also, the Kurumbar people live in the highest range outside the park bordering on the Nilgiris.
The camp was really an unforgettable experience for us. We came to know more about nature, it’s life and the importance of preserving and protecting it. Nisha ma’am and Jamal sir helped us a lot with their experience and knowledge in the wild throughout the camp.