Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) is one of the most appreciated and successful wildlife conservation organisations of the country. Wildlife Protection Society of India was founded in the year 1994 by Belinda Wright, its Executive Director. She is an award-winning wildlife photographer as well as filmmaker till she took up the cause of preservation of wildlife. From its inception, WPSI`s main objective has been to bring a new focus to the discouraging task of tackling India`s increasing wildlife crisis. Wildlife Protection Society of India does this by giving support and information to government authorities to combat hunting and the increasing illegal wildlife trade especially wild tigers. The organisation has now broadened its focal point to deal with human-animal conflicts and provide support for research projects. Wildlife Protection Society of India is a registered non-profit organisation, and it receives it funds by a wide range of Indian and international donors. The Board Members of the organisation comprise renowned conservationists and business people.
Work of Wildlife Protection Society of India
Wildlife Protection Society of India in collaboration with the state governments of the country supervise the illegal wildlife trade and provide them with hands-on training and support to combat poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. It further, conducts Wildlife Law Enforcement Workshops for enforcement agencies. More than 4000 forest and police officers have received training in more than 63 workshops that have been held in 16 states throughout the country. It has given specialist presentations to the National Police Academy, Indian Institute of Criminology, Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Customs and Excise, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Indo- Wildlife Institute of India; Tiger reserve authorities, and other enforcement training centres.
The Wildlife Crime Database of Wildlife Protection Society of India has details of over 15,300 wildlife cases and is constantly updated with inputs from their countrywide network of investigators. All the information plays a crucial role in the expansion of new strategies to protect Indian wildlife. Moreover, the Legal Programme presently supports the prosecution of more than 151 wildlife court cases in around 13 states of the country. These comprise poaching and trade cases involving tiger and other endangered species of India. Not only that, this organisation supports several Conservation Projects for species including tiger, otter and sea turtle in states like Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Orissa, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Wildlife Protection Society of India also support research projects on issues such as tiger census techniques, plight of the snow leopard and the ecological affect of forest resource removal.
The various programmes of Wildlife Protection Society of India include Anti-Poaching and Wildlife Trade Programme, Tiger Protection Programme, Endangered Species Protection Programme, Education and Awareness Programme, Community Support Programme and Research for Conservation Programme. It coordinates with policy makers and international conservation agencies, especially on issues concerning poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Wildlife Protection Society of India has also been in the head of all media campaigns to emphasise the significance of wildlife protection.
