Dear Goanetters,
This evening (Sunday), I posted off a letter to Aaron Pereira
(Ph:9923269797 or 222-4648) regarding the save the frogs campaign. This
letter will be printed out by him on Monday, signed and then personally
handed over to the Chief Conservator of Forests, as well as some DCFs in
Panjim. We need your support when handing over the letter, so please
join Aaron, as he hands the letter over. You can coordinate with him,
via his phone no, mentioned above.
For those of you wondering what's in the letter, I've reproduced it
below, after removing the list of 14 rogue restaurants.
Thanks for your Support!
Clinton..
+46 762976399 (in sunrise at 2.20am Stockholm, Sweden)
To, Mr. Omkar Singh,
Chief Conservator of Forest,
Forest Department of Goa
Panaji – Goa
From, Members of the WildGoa on line community
http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/wildgoa
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
+91 9890936828
Dated: 25th May 2008
Dear Sir,
_Subject: Request for Action on Restaurants & Individuals responsible
for Catching, Killing & Eating of Frogs in Goa._
This is to bring to the notice of the Forest Department about the
illegal catching, killing and serving (for the purpose of eating) of
frogs in Goa that has been going on indiscriminately over the years
during the onset of the monsoon season and has been setting an
increasing trend. Areas like Benaulim, Varca, Cuncolim, Chinichim,
Betul, Cananguinim, Agonda, Curtorim, Mollem and Carambolim, Maupsa are
notorious for instances of frog catching.
Volunteers from WildGoa have been working on raising awareness and
spreading information material generated by the Forest Department,
however, it has been seen that this does not address the problem of
rogue restaurants serving of frog legs.
Therefore, this year we propose a number of things to be done. We urge
the forest department to:
Set up patrolling squads in various areas in Goa: We request you to set
up anti-frog catching squads headed by RFOs and Beat Rangers. We need
to have more squads set up at each area in Goa, and these squads would
need monitor the areas and also be contactable over mobile phone 24
hours during the onset of the monsoons.
Set up of complaint centers in various locations in Goa: After speaking
to DCF Mr. Dalai, we have been informed that the Department has already
notified the following persons to be contacted should lay persons want
to report instances of frog catching. We urge you to provide more
support especially in Salcete, Bardez and Tiswadi.
Campal – 2228772
Bondla RFO Vernekar – 2935800
Mollem RFO Amar Heblekar – 2612211
Cotigao RFO Paresh Porob – 2965601
As a follow up, two volunteers from WildGoa will check back to ensure
that complaints once made by lay persons are acted on by the
Department. These volunteers are:
North Goa Volunteer: Mr Rakesh Verma : Phone: 9765 454581
South Goa Volunteer: Mr Sandeep Azrenkar: Phone: 9823171321
Putting out sustained press notes and pictorial advertisements in the
local press: You have published excellent awareness posters, We request
you to print some more 'Save the Frog' posters printed, and our
volunteers will spread the awareness material all over Goa. We also urge
you to regularly put the same as well as press notes in all the local
newspapers for adequate publicity throughout the season.
We are currently documenting all the press coverage, and will take note
of your press releases. WildGoa members are also writing articles on
why protection of frogs is necessary. I have attached copies of recent
articles that have appeared in the local press and the internet Issue of
Notification to restaurants in Goa: Following the success of sending out
notices to 300 restaurants in Canacona and Mollem, we urge you to do
this in other areas in Goa too, particularly Salcete, Bardez, & Tiswadi.
Volunteers from WildGoa as well as members of the general public, on
condition on anonymity, have submitted names of restaurants that they
have personally seen serving of frog legs. We hope that you monitor
these rogue restaurants strictly, and penalizing offending restaurant /
individual found to catching, killing or serving frogs. (Please treat
this list of restaurants as confidential) The list of offending
restaurants are:
(14 restaurants with names and addresses in Goa)
We hope that the Forest Department in Goa takes this issue immediately
as the arrival of the monsoons is less than a week away and seriously as
there is no past record of any penalizing of restaurants / individuals
found to catching, killing or serving frogs. As this is part of a
global campaign on saving the frog, (visit
http://www.yearofthefrog.org/) we will be reporting our action and your
support internationally as well as the Central Zoo Authority in India.
Representing members of WildGoa,
for, Clinton Vaz
Moderator – WildGoa
CC: To DCF Mr. Deependra Dalai, N. Goa DCF Mr. Mahesh Shabu & S. Goa
DCF Mr. MK Bidi. For information and follow up.
