Headed towards wilderness of Andamans

Bosky Khanna. Bangalore
The Gerdes family is all excited about the five-day expedition to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that they are setting off for, come June 24. And the idea behind the expedition came from Moana, 11, the youngest of the four-member Gerdes family, a student of the Stonehill International School.
Antje, 44, Moana’s mother, explains, “Moana was doing a project in the fifth grade and came to know about the expedition. She was very excited, and she convinced the rest of us.” So Juergen, the father, Antje, and older daughter Elin will all join 12 others, students and youth, headed to the islands on a trip to familiarise themselves with the wild, organised by the Gerry Martin Project.
Antje recalls her own childhood: “I used to go on many trips while I was in
Germany, and I want my children to do the same. In the city, all the animal life they see is stray dogs or cows. I want my daughters to learn about animals and nature.”  The family has been living in Bangalore for two years.
Moana admits that she is a little scared too. “I am going with the family, and we will be seeing the jungle and learning about animals and survival there. I would like to take up working in the jungle with animals, so it would be nice to see animals and learn about the place.”
The Gerdes family is a great one for travel. Moana recollects her last trip with the family to the Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary, near the Nagarahole National Park, where she was taught about the ‘transect walk’ a structured walk in an area to observe particular indicators. Moana rues that she has never, yet, been able to see her favourite wild animal, the tiger, out in the wild.
Anders Poulsen, father of Emma Sogaard Poulsen, 16, a Danish student of Stonehill International School, also joining the expedition, said, “I am very excited about the trip, it is hard to have an experience like this back in Denmark.”
Gerry Martin, wildlife expert and herpetologist, said that the team would stay at the Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team’s base. They would have an exposure to rainforests and mangroves, and learn about the wildlife in the area. Such trips have been organised every month by Martin’s team, for the past three years.