Photo: Gaurav Shirodkar. Led by our team of expert naturalists, the group set off on the Malad Trail, a 20-minute walk from the SGNP gate, at 8 a.m. Before the trail began, Dr. Parvish Pandya, Head Naturalist at Sanctuary Asia, addressed the group about the importance of the national park, the rich biodiversity that finds shelter here and the need for us to protect it. Later, three groups were assigned a naturalist - Dr. Pandya and Gaurav Shirodkar from Sanctuary and Vikrant Chaurasia from the Nature Information Centre.
As the group walked through the picturesque vegetation, the naturalists pointed out a myriad of insects and arachnids. The forest path was dotted with intricate funnel spider webs and the young children were fascinated with these homes that the spiders had made for themselves.
The naturalists showed the children huge anthills and spoke to them about the family structure of the ant colony. They also saw moth caterpillars, a variety of butterflies, scorpions and mygalomorph spiders.
Photo: Valmi Shah Shirodkar. The participants listened with rapt attention as the naturalists spoke to them and showed them the unique wonders of nature. After about an hour and half, the groups reached the end of the trail and rested in the shade for a while. After pondering over the sights and sounds of the forest they had just witnessed, they headed back towards the gate and dispersed by 11.30 a.m.
The children who participated had an insatiable thirst to learn about the flora and fauna of the park and continuously asked questions to the naturalists. We hope that the younger generation will continue to question and explore the many facets of our environment.
