Delhi govt to involve more children for Wildlife Week

NEW DELHI: With the National Wildlife Week from Monday, the Delhi government urged citizens to involve children more in environment conservation activities.

The Environment department of Delhi on Monday inaugurated Wildlife Week 2017 at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. Over 250 school children from Model National Public School, Dharti Mata Trust, Bright Institute of Management and Technology and Pragati Path Foundation took part in the event, along with teachers and parents, besides senior officers of the Environment Department.

Addressing children about the ill-effects of urbanisation, Delhi Environment minister Imran said, "Earlier, people would travel long distances on foot through jungles to reach a town. Now, people have to travel many kilometres in cars through concrete jungles to reach green forests." He also approached the children for their participation in environment conservation.

Hussain appealed to citizens to conserve Delhi's wildlife for a harmonious co-existence of all living beings.

To elaborate his statement to the children, the minister used the example of extinction of dinosaurs. "Do you want that the house sparrows of Delhi to have the same fate of dinosaurs?" Hussain asked the gathered children.

The minister also urged children and nature lovers to propose out of the box strategies for finding the solution to the monkey menace in Delhi.

Wildlife Week will be observed till October 9, with fun-filled activities for children like nature walk, painting competitions, quiz and hands-on workshop on nests making and butterfly counting, and prize distribution on the last day.