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Wild
Life
Protection
Society
Of
India
(WPSI)
The
Wildlife
Protection
Society
of
India
(WPSI)
was
founded
in
1994
by
renowned
tiger
conservationist
Belinda
Wright.
The
primary
aim
of
the
Society
is
to
help
avert
India's
wildlife
crises
by
providing
urgently
needed
support
and
information
to
combat
the
escaliting
illegal
wildlife
trade,
particularly
the
trade
in
tiger
parts.
WPSI
also
supports
the
prosecution
of
wildlife
offenders
and
the
protection
of
crucial
wildlife
habitats.
WPSI
is
a
registered,
non-profit
organisation
that
has
been
endorsed
by
the
Indian
Government.
members
include
eminent
conservationists
and
some
of
India's
leading
businessmen.
WPSI
assists
Government
enforcement
authorities
to
bring
about
the
arrest
of
offenders
and
the
seizure
of
wildlife
products,
and
provides
hands-on
support
and
training
to
enforcement
authorities
to
curb
poaching
and
the
illegal
wildlife
trade.
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The
Society
has
a
network
of
investigators
throughout
India
and
a
comprehensive
Wildlife
Crime
Database
with
details
of
over
10,500
wildlife
cases.
In
the
mid-1990's,
while
investigating
the
smuggling
of
tiger
bones,
WPSI
exposed
the
workings
of
the
shahtoosh
trade
and
its
links
with
the
trade
in
tiger
parts.
WPSI's
Legal
Programme
is
currently
supporting
the
prosecution
of
145
important
wildlife
court
cases
in
13
states
throughout
India.
Under
this
Programme,
WPSI
has
filed
intervention
petitions
to
support
the
prosecution
of
tiger-related
poaching
and
trade
cases,
and
cases
relating
to
other
endangered
species
and
important
wildlife
conservation
issues,
including
the
encroachment
of
protected
areas.
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WPSI's
prime
focus
is
on
saving
the
tiger
-
not
only
because
the
Tiger
is
a
critically
endangered
species,
but
also
because
it
is
symbol
of
the
country's
rich
cultural
heritage.
The
tiger's
presence
in
a
region
encourages
protection
of
its
habitat
and
therefore
of
all
other
animals
in
its
domain.
However
WPSI's
reach
extends
far
beyond
the
tiger
and
the
Society
supports
conservation
projects
in
the
states
of
Assam,
Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand,
Orissa,
Madhya
Pradesh,
Maharashtra,
Uttaranchal,
and
West
Bengal,
on
species
as
varied
as
the
sea
turtle
and
the
slender
loris.
The
Society
is
now
broadening
its
focus
to
deal
with
other
critical
issues
such
as
human-animal
conflict
involving
tigers,
leopards
and
elephants.
In
addition
WPSI
supports
a
number
of
research
projects
on
such
far-flung
issues
as
tiger
census
techniques,
the
ecological
impact
of
forest
resource
extraction,
and
the
snow
leopard.
WPSI
is
actively
involved
in
all
major
wildlife
protection
issues
and
is
one
of
the
most
effective
conservation
organisation
in
India
today.
WPSI
projects
are
generously
supported
by
a
number
of
organsations,
foundations
and
individuals.
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