28 acres of forest land in Kasargod district, filled with tall trees, medicinal plants, herbs, flora and fauna as a result of years and years of efforts and passion of a man named Abdul Kareem. The forest located 23 km away from Kanhangad town in Kasargod district is a favourite tourist destination for nature lovers, scientists, botanists, environmentalists, Ayurveda students etc. This is the first privately-owned wildlife sanctuary in our state-owned by an individual. Kareem’s forest is a real melting pot as it comprises different species of animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians etc along with the dense evergreen trees.
Abdul Kareem, as a child was fascinated by nature and its refreshing vibe. He was literally upset when a fire burned all the grass and trees in his neighbourhood. It was done as part of the agricultural need but he was sad for the trees, as he believed that nature also feels pain like humans do. He worked in the Gulf for many years for a comfortable life in future, without leaving his dream of creating a forest. In 1977, he left his job in the Gulf and came to India to fulfil his dreams. He bought 5 acres of land for forestation and people ridiculed him as the land was barren and is rocky terrain, so it was nearly impossible to sprout seed or sapling in those lands.
None of their ill comments or mocking stopped him, he was so determined and worked for the best. His journey was hard and faced a lot of troubles on the way but today, after 4 decades, he stands with pride as the owner of Kareem’s forest. Kasarkode is comparatively high in temperature and during summer there is water scarcity in the region. Kareem’s forests produce litres and litres of fresh water and distribute it among the needy people during drought. He also goes to different schools and takes classes for children educating them with the knowledge and importance of conserving nature.
In support of his attempts, the State Government in 2005 has included a chapter about Kareem’s forest in class 6 Malayalam textbook. A visit to this privately owned wildlife sanctuary would be a great inspiration for all nature lovers to start loving nature exactly the way nature cares about us.
