The term ‘Wild Life’ means the untamed and undomesticated animals like tigers, lions, leopards etc., living a free life in forests, valleys or hills. In other words it forms a part of animal wealth of country.
Man has hunted wild animals for food, for adventure and for greed of money. This has resulted in disappearance of many species of wild life. He kills tigers, lions, crocodiles and deer for their skins and elephants for their tusks. The greed has increased so much that many species are almost extinct. Deforestations are also a cause of disappearance of wild animals. Wild animals and birds attract us with their beauty. They give us immense entertainment in circus or in zoo. They are a source of great joy to children. Poets and writers have been inspired by them. They have written poems and articles on them. They sometimes become menace when they cause loss to human life.
Efforts were made to preserve wild life. Central Wild Life Act was passed in 1972. It provides protection to the species of animals which are facing the danger of disappearance. Some voluntary organizations like the Bombay Natural History Society and the World Wild Life Fund India are also doing praiseworthy work in this field.
It is with the aim of preserving wild life i.e. animal wealth of Nature that 207 sanctuaries have been established in India. Kanha National Park in M.P., Corbett National Park and Dudhwa National Park in U.P., Gir National Park in Gujarat, Bird Sanctuary at Kewale Deo at Bharatpur in Rajasthan known as Ghana, are some of these example.
Wild life must be preserved because some wild animals work as natural scavengers. They keep the environment free from pollution. Some of these animals are the source of drugs like insulin and anti-venom. India is famous for her Gir lions all over the world. The sanctuaries are the source of great income because tourists from within and outside the country are instinctively attracted to them. Wild animals and birds are highly useful to mankind. Their disappearance will create a void in Nature. The government has introduced a number of measures to protect wild life. A national scheme called the “Project Tiger” was launched to protect the tiger population. Wild Life Week is celebrated every year in the first week on October. In short, we would save the wild life, the glory of our country, from extinction.