When did wildlife week started in India?

With a view to preserve the fauna

of India, particularly to take urgent steps to prevent extinction

of any species, the Government of India established an Indian Board

of Wild Life (IBWL) in 1952. The Board has since been doing

pioneering work to arouse public consciousness in favour of

wildlife preservation.

From time immemorial, our wildlife

has been closely associated with our legendary beliefs and our folk

lores, with our epics and our history. Our lives would be very much

poorer without these varied forms that build up the balance of

nature. Preservation of wildlife need not and does not mean the

blind perpetuation of all species and without any limit on numbers.

Wildlife preservation in fact implies active and planned wildlife

management under which all forms of life would progress side by

side with human progress, each in its own sphere of influence and

utility and without any detriment to human interests. In fact, it

is with this end in view that wildlife sanctuaries and national

parks have been established and developed in suitable localities

all over the country.

Therefore, in order to arouse a

general awakening in the common man in favour of protection of

wildlife, the IBWL decided to observe the Wildlife Week from

October 2 - 8 every year