Page 57 - Reliance Foundation Annual Report 2021-22
P. 57

Animal Welfare Projects in FY21-22



                                                                  Promoting herpetological welfare
                                                                  Reliance Foundation has funded the Indian
                                                                  Herpetological Society’s Animal Rescue and
                                                                  Rehabilitation Centre in Pune. The Centre supports and
                                                                  cares for animals that are too badly injured to survive in
                                                                  their natural habitats. Reliance Foundation has helped
                                                                  upgrade rescue equipment and enhance techniques to
                                                                  enable the rescue team to better treat and rehabilitate
                                                                  injured wild animals.
                                                                  Supporting local artisans


                                                                  Reliance Foundation has a long legacy of promoting
                                                                  Indian art and culture. To this end, Reliance Foundation
                                                                  has consistently backed organisations that support
                                                                  local artisans, to help them make a sustainable living
              In addition to its direct interventions and collaborations,   from their work and give their craft a new lease of life.
              Reliance Foundation has also been providing grants   The most prominent of these organisations is Sewa
              since 2012 to support deserving causes across the   International, which is training local women artisans to
              country. In FY21-22, these grants focused on two key   upscale waste polythene collected from villages into
              areas – animal welfare and support to artisans.     bags. Sewa also trains local women in Kutch to help
                                                                  them become ethnic wear creators and entrepreneurs.
              Tracking man-animal conflict
              Reliance Foundation has sponsored a study by the
              Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to analyse
              shared spaces between humans and leopards in two
              sanctuaries prone to man-animal conflict – Sanjay
              Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and Tungareshwar
              Wildlife Sanctuary (TWLS). This study was designed
              to help conservationists understand four crucial
              areas – the leopards’ movements into and out of the
              parks; their response to humans in terms of space
              use; human-leopard interactions; and local residents’
              response to leopards in their area.

              To this end, three leopards were radio-collared and
              studied. The programme also included scientific
              training for 50+ field staff. A detailed report elaborating
              leopard home ranges and their interaction with humans
              was submitted to the Maharashtra Forest Department.
              These findings have proved to be a valuable case
              study for other areas where wild animals live in close
              proximity to high-density human settlements.
              Enhancing zoological facilities
              Reliance Foundation has also contributed towards
              animal welfare initiatives at the National Zoological
              Park, New Delhi, by sponsoring two MUVs (battery
              carts) and two Isuzu SUVs. These rugged vehicles
              have proved to be extremely reliable and have seen
              extensive use in providing veterinary support and
              distributing rations to the animals. Reliance Foundation
              has also sponsored a computer, a portable X-ray
              machine and a digital radiography machine to be used
              for the benefit of the zoo animals.



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