By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 7 Dec: Noted Wildlife guide and conservationist Rajesh Bhatt has been awarded with prestigious Billy Arjan Singh Memorial Award for Wildlife Guide 2024 by TOF Tigers Organisation. The function was held at Bikaner House in New Delhi on Friday. The event saw participation from wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists from India and abroad. Resorts, wildlife camps, naturalists, guides, NGOs, and wildlife photographers who have embraced responsible tourism were honoured during the ceremony under different categories for their contribution to wildlife conservation.
Rajesh Bhatt, a registered guide at Corbett Tiger Reserve since 1995, was awarded the Billy Arjan Singh Memorial Award for Best Wildlife Guide of the Year 2024. He was recognised as the Best Nature Guide north among guides from national parks across the country. Bhatt, who also runs the NGO Rainbow Friends of Nature and Environment, is dedicated to promoting ecotourism and responsible tourism.
Bhatt has trained over a thousand nature guides, wildlife drivers, homestay operators, NGOs, and various government department staff across India in environment and wildlife conservation. Bhatt conducts ongoing training campaigns for environmental and cultural conservation throughout Uttarakhand and outside the state, including training forest department employees and working to reduce human-wildlife conflict. He has also guided thousands of school and college students in environmental awareness programmes and continues to mentor youth in environment, wildlife conservation, and green business. Through career counselling, he motivates people in Uttarakhand to adopt green employment. Bhatt dedicated a portion of his earnings and time to social work, providing employment opportunities to thousands by guiding and inspiring the youth of Uttarakhand toward a sustainable future and green business ventures. He also has a unique capability to imitate voice and calls of over 200 varieties of wild animals and birds.
