{"id":17035,"date":"2026-11-12T10:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T03:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/?p=17035"},"modified":"2026-11-12T10:09:27","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T03:39:27","slug":"dofps-introduces-acho-dongka-a-red-panda-mascot-to-lead-bhutans-forest-fire-prevention-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/?p=17035","title":{"rendered":"DoFPs introduces Acho Dongka, a red panda mascot, to lead Bhutan’s forest-fire prevention campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"
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THIMPHU, 11 November 2026: The Department of Forests and Park Services (DoFPS) today introduced Acho Dongka, a red panda mascot who will promote forest-fire prevention and safer behaviour across Bhutan.<\/div>\n
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Developed with BBS Channel 3, Acho Dongka is a warm, practical and good-humoured elder-brother figure. He explains serious safety messages in clear, memorable language, without blaming or frightening his audience.<\/div>\n
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The campaign opens with an introductory video in which Acho Dongka presents himself, his role and the campaign\u2019s musical theme. Four public service announcements will follow, each focused on a common activity that can start a forest fire, such as burning crop residue carelessly, leaving picnic fires unattended and discarding cigarette butts. Each video shows the risk, the safer alternative and the part every person can play in preventing a fire.<\/div>\n
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\u201cForest fires are preventable, and every one of us has a role to play in protecting our forests. Through Acho Dongka, we want to bring forest-fire prevention closer to people\u2019s everyday lives by encouraging simple but responsible actions. Our message is not just about preventing fires; it is about nurturing a culture of care, responsibility and collective ownership of our forests. We hope Acho Dongka will become a familiar voice, inspiring children, families and communities to make forest protection a shared responsibility,\u201d said Sonam Tobgay, Chief Forestry Officer, Forest Resources Planning and Management Division, Department of Forests and Park Services.<\/div>\n
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The red panda was chosen because the species is closely tied to Bhutan\u2019s forests and gives children, families and communities a warm, distinctive character to engage with. The campaign is designed to run year-round, not only during the forest-fire season.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThrough Acho Dongka, we are combining storytelling, local language, music and a relatable character to make forest-fire prevention easier to understand, remember and act on. We hope he becomes a familiar and trusted voice for protecting Bhutan\u2019s forests,\u201d said Tsedon Dorji, Managing Director, BBS Channel 3.<\/div>\n
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With Acho Dongka, DoFPS aims to build a lasting public identity for forest protection, and to remind everyone that one careful action can prevent a devastating fire.<\/div>\n
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Media contact<\/div>\n
Jigme Wangchuk<\/div>\n
Senior Forestry Officer<\/div>\n
Department of Forests and Park Services<\/div>\n
jigmewangchuk@moenr.gov.bt \/ 77385897<\/div>\n
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About the Department of Forests and Park Services<\/div>\n
The Department of Forests and Park Services (DoFPS) is mandated to conserve and sustainably manage Bhutan\u2019s forest resources, protected areas, and biodiversity while enhancing socio-economic benefits for present and future generations.<\/div>\n
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About BBS Channel 3<\/div>\n
BBS Channel 3 is a non-commercial educational television channel and Royal Project with the guiding message \u201cLearn Something.\u201d It produces and broadcasts educational, cultural and public-service content for audiences across Bhutan.<\/div>\n
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THIMPHU, 11 November 2026: The Department of Forests and Park Services (DoFPS) today introduced Acho Dongka, a red panda mascot who will promote forest-fire prevention and safer behaviour across Bhutan. Developed with BBS Channel 3, Acho Dongka is a warm, practical and good-humoured elder-brother figure. He explains serious safety messages in clear, memorable language, without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":17037,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[344,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apa","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17035"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17041,"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17035\/revisions\/17041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moenr.gov.bt\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}