Karunashram wins UP conservation award for animal shelter

Karunashram, an animal shelter in Wardha, recently received the Uttamrao Patil Memorial Forest Conservation Award on World Forest Day. The award was given to Ashish Goswami, the director of Karunashram, during a ceremony at Rashtrabhasha Hall. Established in 1999, Karunashram serves as a sanctuary for injured and rescued animals. It provides shelter, medical care, and rehabilitation for them. The facility is officially registered and recognized by the Central Zoo Authority and the Animal Welfare Board of India. Karunashram has two sections: one for rescued wild animals and another for domestic animals in need of shelter. It is home to over 30 species of birds and many local plant species. The shelter includes an operation theatre, an animal ambulance, and special enclosures for leopards, bears, and deer. Naresh Zhurmure, the additional principal chief conservator of forests, spoke at the event. He highlighted the importance of everyone’s role in forest conservation. "Forest officers and conservation workers alone cannot save our forests; every citizen must contribute," he said. He reminded attendees that nature’s gifts, like the air we breathe, require us to give back.