The whales are killed in the deep ocean, the tusks are being removed from elephants and the skins and bones of tiger are exchanged in the border area, rare migratory birds are captured and sold in the black markets around the world. Yet, every year around this time (October 2 to 8) Wildlife Week is celebrated by governments, environmentalists, activists to accelerate the awareness of wildlife conservation among people. India, being a mega-storehouse of various species, is also able to manage several conferences, awareness programmes, public meetings among the nature lovers. But it lasts a week. Then the concern over wildlife is relegated to the backburner, or the mandate to conserve the wild species is given to the NGOs or self-claimed conservationists.

The seriousness of celebrating Wildlife Week is not only to educate young people like school children but also to correct the flaws in the conservation effort by the government. The key to global wildlife conservation in the 21^st century must be to craft solutions that meet the specific requirements of each species and its specific circumstances.