Tiger!: The Story of the Indian Tiger

Kailash Sankhala (1925-1994), well known around the globe as the Tiger Man, was the sole force behind the formation of Project Tiger, the world’s largest wildlife conservation programme set up in India in 1972. He successfully managed Sariska, Bharatpur, Banvihar and Ranthambhor Wildlife Sanctuaries and the forest divisions of Rajasthan until 1964, and in 1965 was appointed Director of the Delhi Zoological Park which in 1969 was rated one of the first three zoological parks in the world. His list of achievements is endless as is the list of merits and accolades he received for his tireless efforts to protect the tiger and its habitat. In 1965, the government of Rajasthan bestowed on him the Merit Award for outstanding contribution in wildlife conservation. Mr. Sankhala received another Merit Award in 1982 for his book on the tiger. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Project Tiger, the government of India awarded Mr. Sankhala with a Special Honour for his outstanding services. That is not all. He was the first civil servant to receive the Jawahar Lal Nehru Fellowship in 1969 to study the tiger and in 1992 he was awarded the country’s highest civil honour, the Padmashri by the President of India. Quite evidently, he lived a remarkable life, devoting it freely and generously to the protection of the tiger whose preservation he saw as linked inextricably to the entire chain and web of life.