The
TigerMan
Kailash
Sankhala, widely known as Tiger Man, was the first conservationist who raised
a voice in favor of protecting the tiger as early as 1956. He spearheaded the
crusade and succeeded in helping rescue the species from the brink of extinction
in an age when hunting tigers was practiced.
Kailash Sankhala carried through this
challenging mission with untiring energy and dedication, even at the risk of
his professional career and death threats. Kailash Sankhala conducted an
extensive study on tigers under the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship during a
time when the tiger population was dwindling at an alarming rate due to
poaching and hunting. His research would later lead him to launch Project
Tiger in 1973.
Prior to serving Project Tiger as Founding Director, Kailash Sankhala was the
Director of Delhi Zoological Park and Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan. He
was a distinguished naturalist and a forest officer, who played a key role in
establishing various national parks in India. Kailash Sankhala was known the
world over as an authority on tigers, and has written over half a dozen books
on the subject. He also has authored books on National Parks and Indian wildlife,
and has written a number of scientific and popular science articles.
Kailash Sankhala was an inspiration to many, encouraging everyone to take on
the conservation cause. He pushed for arming forest officers with cameras instead
of guns. He won many awards, including the National Honour of Padamshri in 1992.
In 1989, he established the Tiger Trust to continue his commitment to tiger
conservation.
He died on August 15, 1994 in Jaipur.
In honor of Kailash Sankhala's inspiration for work in the field of conservation,
the Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Wildlife have constituted
a Kailash Sankhala Fellowship for conservation efforts on behalf of Indian animals.
The Fellowship consists of work for two years and is awarded once every two
years.
- The Kailash Sankhala Award - a State award given for work in the field
of Wildlife Conservation.
The city of Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan has a street bearing his name:
"Kailash Sankhala Marg."
The Godwan Society
(Desert Wildlife Conservation Society) of Jodhpur has established a Kailash
Sankhala Desert Conservation Award.
The Nature Club of Rajasthan,
Jaipur, has announced a Kailash Sankhala Wildlife Conservation Award.
Annual
Kailash Sankhala Memorial Lecture is being organized by the Godwan Society
of Jodhpur
Nature Club of Rajasthan at Jaipur, Tiger Trust and
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) at Delhi.
The Tiger Trust has set up:
- Kailash Sankhala Conservation Centre near Kanha National Park and
- Kailash Sankhala Conservation Centre near Bandhavgarh National Park.
Pradeep
Sankhala
Pradeep Sankhala son of late Kailash Sankhala who took over tiger after his
death, he was a pioneer in eco-tourism, He loves nature and tiger. He traveled
all over the world for the gause and like his father to spread the word to save
tiger. Unfortunately we lost him 23
rd may 2003 in an accident.
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