Naseem Khan, 2024-08-13

Mohammed Naseem Khan Bakhsh was a driver employed for over four decades in the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. He was born in 1953 in Mala forest of Pilibhit division. He is one of nine siblings. He completed his education till Intermediate College, after which his family moved to Dudhwa in 1972. His father, Salim Bakhsh, worked as a mechanic for the Forest Department and Naseem was appointed as a driver by the Department in 1976. He drove a tractor for a couple of years and then a jeep from 1979 onwards. His work involved tracking tiger pugmarks, transporting buffalo calves used to attract tigers during search operations and assisting in tiger censuses. He would also take foreign tourists through the jungle, gradually developing an interest in birdwatching, and he eventually became a bird guide for tourists. He is credited with the first sighting of the Bengal florican in Dudhwa in 1981 and also the finding of the Hispid hare in 1997-98. He is a keen observer of wildlife and holds a strong passion for the forests of Dudhwa.