The chief guest for the Venu Menon National Animal Awards 2004 held at the India Habitat Centre on 19 February was Dr Karan Singh. Daphne Sheldrick, world renowned conservationist from Africa who works on rehabilitating elephants into the wild, delivered the fourth Venu Menon Memorial Lecture.
The jury comprised Jacob V. Cheeran, veterinarian and expert on Captive elephant care; Manjit Bawa, artist; Nafisa Ali, former Miss India and social activist; Ambika Shukla, animal activist; Arti Surendranath, stylist and designer; and K.B. Menon, Chairman, VMAAF.
Venu Menon Lifetime Achievement Award
Lavkumar Khacher
If there is one name that stands out for long term contribution to spreading awareness about nature, especially ornithology, it is that of Lavkumar Khacher. Lavkumar Khacher has spent his life studying nature and teaching people to understand and love it. Born into the royal family of Jasdan in Saurashtra, Mr. Kacher started his career teaching Bio Sciences and Geography at Rajkumar College , Rajkot in 1956. His creative implementation of the nature studies programme so impressed the Board of World Wildlife Fund-India that he was given the responsibility of conceiving and initiating its Education and Youth Movement in 1976. In 1984 he took charge as Director of the Nature Discovery Centre of the Centre for Environment Education (CEE). Today state governments and NGOs are following the model created by him across India . He was instrumental in declaring the Gulf of Kachch Islands as the first marine national park in India.
Jury’s Special Award
Abrar Quereshi
Abrar Quereshi is perhaps the only animal rights and welfare activist who belongs to a community of butchers. His stand has lead him to numerous confrontations with his own community to the extent that they have made attempts on his life and even broken both his legs. Mr. Quereshi has been instrumental in rescuing hundreds of thousands of cattle from illegal slaughter houses. He has also worked against wildlife trade. His organisation, "People who care for Animals", has the patronage of Jain, Gujjar and Marwari communities. What keeps him going, he says, is the mental peace that he gets from looking into the eyes of animals he has helped rescue.
Venu Menon Animal Allies Award
Bandana Sengupta
Sixty three year old Bandana Sengupta has made animal welfare her mission in life. She has been looking after stray dogs, cats and other animals with her own meagre resources for over two decades now. Her house is a home for at least 50 stray dogs and their numbers increase by the day. She strongly believes in animal birth control and looks at it as a solution to the problems faced by strays in the years to come. After years of unorganised efforts, Mrs. Sengupta set up the Sonadi Shelter-cum-Hospital last year which has performed over a thousand ABC operations and keeps seventy dogs. She has inspired veterinarians to provide services free of cost and keeps three Vans to pick up animals in distress. Despite being old and arthritic, she continues to travel long distances to the hospital, where she plays the role of a chief administrator and works on animals hands on. Mrs. Sengupta recognises and knows the names of every dog that has passes through her hands.
David Shepherd Wildlife Award
C.P. Durge Gowda
C.P. Durge Gowda, who is currently a Range Forest Officer with the Forest Department of Karnataka, has shown exemplary courage and devotion to duty in carrying out his task for the last 15 years. He has, along with his colleagues, courageously fought gangs of poachers and smugglers, and has been wounded a number of times in the line of duty. Mr. Gowda has also helped to spread awareness among the public and students by conducting nature camps. Trained in wildlife management, he has been able to utilise his knowledge in giving exemplary protection to the areas that he has been posted in.
Special Organisation
Award
Blue Cross of India, Chennai
Blue Cross of India had a humble beginning in 1964, in a single small hospital shelter in Chennai. Six centres strong today, it has spread out in Chennai, Kunnam Village , Toducadu Village and Kanchipuram. Blue Cross, which has become synonymous with animal welfare, was the first organisation to recommend animal birth control in place of capture and kill method for dogs, widely practised by municipalities across India . It has treated thousands of animals injured in rail and road accidents; rescued young puppies and kittens separated from their mothers. It has carried out over 6000 ABC operations on dogs and several hundred on cats. Hundreds of injured and sick animals can be found in Blue Cross shelters at any given point of time. Their Guindy centre alone treats over 18000 animals every year. Their services, with the exception of the cost of vaccine, are totally free of charge.
WTI Endangered Species Award
Dr. Ravi Sankaran
Dr. Ravi Sankaran has worked for years to protect the Edible nest swiftlets in Andaman and Nicobar Islands . In a rare mix of excellent science and pragmatic conservation, Dr. Sankaran has been able to imbue a sense of pride and ownership among the people who make a living out of harvesting swiftlet nests. His work has given swiftlets in Andamans a new lease of life.
WTI Van Rakshak Award
Chintamani Dhyani
Chintamani Dhyani, Range Forest Officer of Chilla, played a decisive role in tackling a long standing problem of Rajaji National Park : Gujjars. He has been able to rejuvenate the Chilla range, despite strong pressures by amicably persuading the resident Gujjar population to shift out of the park to a designated rehabilitation site. It is due to Mr. Dhyani's efforts that the Rajaji National Park has got a new lease of life. His effort goes beyond the call of duty.
WTI Van Rakshak Award
Ranga Nath Pandey
As Range Forest Officer (Relocation), Ranga Nath Pandey's contribution to the Gujjar relocation process in the Rajaji National Park goes beyond the call of duty. He made special efforts to ensure that those relocated could settle down comfortably in the land allotted to them. He ensured that a school located in the vicinity became functional and that it had requisite study material. He ensured that a veterinary doctor was there to help out when he was needed the most. Over the years Mr. Pandey has become more a friend to the Gujjars than an adversary. His work has made the Rajaji National Park a safe haven for wildlife.
IFAW Leadership in Conservation Award
Pradyut Bordoloi
Pradyut Bordoloi, Forest Minister of Assam, is one of the few politicians in India who feels for its natural heritage and takes his job seriously to protect it. Breaking away from the tradition, Mr. Bordoloi is open to new ideas, which have made the introduction of modern wildlife management practices possible in Assam . He leads from the front and mixes with every level of the frontline forest staff, enthusing them to do their job better. He has taken stands against his government's other departments to protect forests and wildlife. Mr. Bordoloi has set a tough example for other forest ministers in the country to follow.
IFAW International Animal Action Award
Ashok Kumar
For the past two decades, Ashok Kumar has moved from country to country in COPs, Animals Committee Meetings and IUCN Groups, making friends and lobbying in his own inimitable way to put forth India 's conservation perspective to the world. A crucial player in a number of CITES issues, Ashok Kumar has been the founder director of Traffic India, an Advisor to the Government of India and gained reputation as a man who single mindedly pursues his goals, to the extent of even arguing cases himself in the Supreme Court.
WTI Special Award
Upendra Arora
Natraj Publishers, which Upendra Arora heads, has been a pioneer in publishing and selling, nature, environment, wildlife research and conservation literature for over three decades. Natraj's bookshop in Dehradun is a virtual pilgrimage for any one interested in environment or conservation. He has published a number of books that were out of print, giving readers access to a rich bank of literature.
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