Fighting The Good Fight!

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For almost four decades Sanctuary has been at the fulcrum of some of India’s best and least-known wildlife campaigns. Our purpose has been to inform and involve our readers and, through them, wider audiences on issues that threaten species, wildernesses and, all too often the very air, water and lands with which our lives are so inextricably linked.

While some of our campaigns have seen success and have resulted in positive change, many have had little or no impact on decision makers. This is not unusual. Those who have learned to extract short-term profi t and cause long-term damage are a determined lot. Having said this, it has always been Sanctuary’s position that defending the planet is an article of faith and irrespective of the outcome, it is vital that battles are fought to defend what is precious. To coincide with Earth Day 2018, we therefore present Sanctuary readers with a glimpse of past campaigns together with quick updates on their status.

UNHAPPY FEET

In 2016, the poorly-managed Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Zoo (Byculla Zoo), part of the iconic botanical garden known as Jijamata Udyan, put eight exotic Humboldt Penguins on display. Conservationists argued that these birds, found in the wild only in Peru and Chile, would serve no useful purpose apart from entertaining humans.

Sanctuary’s campaign ‘Unhappy Feet’ urged authorities against the incarceration of exotic birds precisely because the initiative served no conservation purpose.