VMAAF

First Venu Menon National Animal Awards: 1999

The inaugural Venu Menon National Animal Awards function was held on19 February 1999 at the India International Centre, New Delhi. Shri I.K. Gujral, former Prime Minister of India, was the chief guest and gave away the awards.

The jury comprised Iqbal Malik, environmentalist, primatologist and head of the Delhi-based NGO, Vatavaran; Ashok Kumar, wildlife conservationist and trustee, Wildlife Trust of India; Ruskin Bond, novelist and short-story writer; Bulbul Sharma, painter and writer; Nafisa Joseph, television personality and former Miss India; Bunty Peerbhoy, Chairman of MAA Bozell, a leading communications consultancy; and Vivek Menon, Trustee, VMAAF and Executive Director, Wildlife Trust of India.

Venu Menon Lifetime Achievement Award
Maneka Gandhi

Founder and chairperson of India's largest animal welfare organisation, People for Animals, Maneka Gandhi has been at the forefront of the animal welfare movement in India. She has been a minister in charge of various portfolios but has always held that of animal welfare close to herself. In the past two decades, she has initiated legislative action for reforming slaughterhouses, banning mini-zoos, banning the killing of stray dogs by municipal authorities and establishing many animal shelters and hospitals across India. She has become a source of inspiration for young and old wanting to work for animals.

Venu Menon Animal Allies Award
Kamlabai Shinde

Ms Kamlabai Shinde, a poor cobbler woman living in Mumbai, has been running an informal animal shelter for the past 15 years with her own savings. Operating from a hovel outside Bandra station, she has been looking after abandoned dogs and cats at a makeshift shelter despite her own poverty-stricken condition.

Venu Menon Young Achiever Award
Satya Priya Gautam

Satya Priya Gautam, a young teenager from a town on the fringes of Corbett National Park, set up the Corbett Nature Club and through its various activities has been successful in reducing poaching in the forests around the tiger reserve. Satya Priya was responsible for bringing to light poaching by the armed forces in the regions surrounding Corbett and has also been involved in exposing tiger poaching in the area.

Special Organisation Award
Compassion Unlimited Plus Action
CUPA, which came into existence 10 years ago, boasts the "largest hospital and shelter for animals in India''. It provides a range of facilities for pet, stray, and wild animals that are sick, injured or abused. It offers an ambulance service, night clinic, animal birth control programme for stray dogs, and a multi-purpose veterinary hospital and shelter. In recognition of its work, the Bangalore City Corporation handed over the management of the city's only existing dog pound to CUPA. CUPA, with the help of sponsors, also operates a Night Emergency Veterinary Centre open to the public from 6 pm to 6 am and caters to all types of animals in distress.

Jury's Special Award
Sally Walker
Sally Walker, a US national who has made India her second home, has made a significant contribution towards improving the state of Indian zoos. Walker's educational campaigns have taught many zoos how to provide better conditions for animals and influenced thousands of children to be better animal citizens. She started the Conservation and Breeding Specialist Group India - regional network of the CBSG/SSC/IUCN under which she introduced new methods of wildlife assessment, management and conservation.

David Shepherd Wildlife Award
Soumen Biswas
The late Soumen Biswas from Siliguri gave up his life fighting for the cause of wildlife. In his lifetime, he rescued several wild animals which had strayed into human habitation and after treating them, released them back in the forest. His rescue work was also directed to abandoned and terminally ill dogs which were given food and shelter. He devoted the last few years of his life to combating illegal wildlife trade. He was murdered in his office by some criminals without any apparent reason in 1997.

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