Skip to content Skip to navigation

Conservationist Ashok Kumar honoured

Ashok Kumar, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) was honoured with the Sanctuary Legend Award at the prestigious Earth Heroes event held at NTPA auditorium in Mumbai today. The Legend Award is a new honour started by Sanctuary this year.

With a career in wildlife spanning over five decades Ashok Kumar’s contribution to conservation is immeasurable. A pioneer in many ways, he has a strong hand in ensuring that Sansar Chand, the most dangerous wildlife trader ever to have operated in India, stayed behind bars. He set up TRAFFIC in India and conducted a milestone seizure of tiger derivatives during his tenure there.

At a time when nobody spoke about seeking protection for wildlife through tougher laws, he sought to plug loopholes and pushed for effective implementation of wildlife laws. In 2002, following a case filed by him, protection to the Tibetan antelope was granted by banning shahtoosh shawl production. His strategy to engage the system even when he opposed it for a project or policy reason, showed dramatic results, facilitating better coordination between Forest Departments and enforcement authorities across the country.

Vivek Menon, ED & CEO of WTI, who has been close confidante and co-worker of Ashok Kumar, said, “Ashok is one of those rare and endangered breeds of mankind whose passion for wildlife protection made him unstoppable in his quest to protect fauna. His fight against organized wildlife crime was both pioneering and timely and the conservation world is indebted to him for his untiring crusade against those who exploit wildlife. His undying humour even in most dire of situations are as legendary as the man himself”. 

A living legend Ashok Kumar’s passionate devotion to wildlife conservation and his inexhaustible love for the forest and all its creatures makes him a hero and an inspiration for many. He shines like a beacon for India’s young conservationists.

 

Add new comment

Random Stories

ISL: NE United go down to Goa FC

15 Oct 2015 - 6:56pm | AT News
FInally, Goa FC beat the North East United FC 3-1 in the Indian Superleague clash at the packed Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Sarusajai on Thursday. The home team continue to stay at the...

Padma Hazarika shifted to Delhi

16 Dec 2007 - 11:11am | editor
The injured Asom Gana Parishad legislator from Sootea Padma Hazarika has been flown to the Appollo Hospital in New Delhi for better treatment. Earlier on Saturday, he was brought to the city and was...

NEADS responds to fire tragedy among vulnerable communities in Majuli

24 Apr 2023 - 10:57am | AT News
On 12th December 2022, a devastating fire broke out suddenly at the village called Upper Sonowal of Majuli district in Assam, leaving a trail of destructions among the affected people. The crisis had...

School girl jumps off auto

25 May 2016 - 8:38pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
A school going minor student was injured after she jumped off a running vehicle to escape sexual assault by the driver at Mokrabari here in Kokrajhar today. Sensational prevails in Kokrjhar...

Other Contents by Author

Villagers in the Manas  National Park area taking part in a skill development workshop where improved Chulha isbeing made targeting commercial establishments - hotels and restaurants, schools and households in the  vicinity to forest boundary. The programme is organized by IFAW-WTI on Wednesday. 20 participants from Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa have been trained with tehnical guidance from Assam Energy Development Agency.  
Marking a milestone in efforts to secure a crucial elephant corridor in northeast India, residents of Ram Terang Village have now a new address- "New Ram Terang Village", which is nearing completion. All the 19 families of Ram Terang have willingly and voluntarily decided to relocate outside the Kalapahar-Daigrung elephant corridor to provide safe passage for elephants.  The New Ram Terang Village was dedicated to the memory of Mark Shand, the Founder of the Elephant Family, well-known for its work for welfare of Asian elephants on Wednesday,11th November 2015. The colourful ceremony kicked off with a traditional welcome and the unveiling of terracotta reliefs dedicated to Mark Shand...
A clinic for elephants of the northeast was inaugurated at the upcoming Mark Shand Memorial Learning Centre by Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, Founding Patron of the UK based charity Elephant Family and its CEO Ruth Powys in the presence of distinguished guests and a colourful audience from the neighbouring villages. The facility, named after legendary conservationist Mark Shand, is a part of the Kaziranga Discovery Park, coming up opposite the IFAW-WTI and Assam Forest Department run Centre of Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation near Kaziranga National Park today. Inaugurating the facility, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild congratulated the team and all the people who built the facility. “Mark was...
New Delhi seems to have turned into a safe den of international smugglers where forest. Of late, it has become a route of racketeers where wild animal parts are smuggled. A joint team of Kerala forest department, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Delhi Police seized 487 kg of ivory during an operation in the national capital on Monday.The covert operation was conducted is the result of the Operation Shikar where a person was arrested on October 2. Identified as Umesh Aggrawal, he was believed to have made the huge revelation during interrogation who is suspected to be the kingpin of the illegal ivory trade. This came to light from the detailed analysis of call records of middlemen...
Wildlife Trust of India with Assam forest department and International Fund for Animal Welfare is celebrating the week with lot of activities across Assam and northeast.In the beginning of this week the organization rescued and released a hog badger,  a nearly threatened Schedule –I uncommon specie as per IUCN/WPA/Indian Status in Kaziranga National Park on Monday.All this action (Rescue-Clinical Examination-Observation and release) has happened within 24-hours time frame, one of the quickest rescue and release of wildlife in Kaziranga.The rarely seen strange looking animal by the people but mostly visible in Kaziranga landscape was a full grown female with 10.516 Kg, when the centre...
Thirty- seven school teachers from the fringe villages of Greater Manas attended the Animal Action Education (AAE) workshop conducted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)  at Central Institute of Technology (CIT) in Kokrajhar, the capital city of Bodoland in Assam. The one day workshop conducted on 23rd September 2015 was supported by Elementary Education Department and was organised in association with Assam Forest Department and Bodoland Territorial Council.The main objective of the workshop was to spread awareness about keynote species existing in the forest habitat of Greater Manas landscape in Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC)...
Two units of Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS) run by Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) -- an IFAW-WTI wildlife care facility -- have attended to 11 cases of displaced wild animals during the ongoing flood crisis in Kaziranga National Park. Supported by Assam Forest Department, the MVS units have been on alert ever since the Brahmaputra began flowing above the danger mark. These rescue cases happened between September 1 to 6.Out of the 11 rescued animals, two hog deer and a wild boar were released in the Kaziranga National Park by the MVS team. Meanwhile, five hog deer died during the floods and most of them succumbed to road hits on NH-37. A female Eastern swamp...
Physical demarcation of the Kalapahar-Daigurung elephant corridor in Karbi Anglong district got a formal boost after a foundation stone was erected at a ceremony organised by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), under the guidance of Dr Abhijit Rabha, IFS, Additional PCCF, Karbi Anglong Forest Department. The foundation laying ceremony was attended by senior officials of Wildlife Trust of India, Assam Forest Department and heads of villages that fall within the corridor on Sunday,6th September 2015.Unveiling the foundation stone, Dr Rabha, said, “This is the first of its kind corridor securement project in the northeast India. I hope with the joint effort of Wildlife Trust of India-Elephant...
Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) authority formally handed over the newly built MVS Field Station to Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) at a function in Diphu, the district head quarter of Karbi Anglong, Assam today.Pradip Signar, the honourable Executive Member (Forest) of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) handed over the facility in presence of  Dr. Abhijit Rabha, Additional PCCF of Karbi Anglong Forest Department.  Signar wished that the rescue and rehabilitation center will bear fruit in building the bridge between people and wildlife in the hill district of Assam.While welcoming the august gathering at the inauguration of the MVS field station, Dr Abhijit Rabha,...
Uttar Sarathi, one of the oldest football club of Guwahati city located at Pandu is organising “The 5th Rana Memorial One Day Football Tournament” in memory of once promising footballer Late Rana Das of Pandu, who died at an early age.Like previous four years, the one day football tournament is organised at Uttar Sarathi Playground connecting independence day celebration at Pandu on 15th August 2015.The last day of joining the popular seven a side football tournament is on 14th August 2015, informed Jayanta Banik, sports secretary of the club through a press release. Contact: 9435204576.