The Nepal Weekly 
April 19, 2022
Understanding and valuing nature and all that it has to offer is a character quality the country celebrates National Wildlife Week during April 5 – 9 this year. From providing us with multiple food sources to medicinal properties and a flourishing planet to live on, Mother Nature has continued to bless us with the best of the best. However, factors like rapid globalization and industrialization have put an unnecessary strain on the planet resulting in many dangers like climate change, new diseases, extinctions, etc. National Wildlife Week aims to raise awareness about said issues through discussions, campaigns, donations, and such.
The 27thNational Wildlife Week being celebrated this year took a slogan Human – Wildlife Co-existence : Our Common Responsibility”. A number of events scheduled to take place during the weeklong celebration. Unveiling the banner, interactions and wildlife conservation, cleaning of selected forest areas, bird watching in Shivapuri National Park and hiking, school level, panting, drawing, dramatic poetry citation competition, prize distribution and concluding event are the focus events being organised collaborating the government agencies and organisations dedicated to wildlife conservation in the country.
History of National Wildlife Week
National Wildlife Week was first celebrated back in 1938 by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). The organization was established in 1936 to unite dedicated individuals from all walks of life, who wanted to work for the betterment of wildlife. Over the years, actors, writers, and politicians have contributed to the cause.
Ding Darling, the founder of NWF, met with President Franklin Roosevelt during an official meeting in 1936. The meeting resulted in the commemoration of Wildlife Week with official stamps for the occasion being exchanged and recognized. Initially, National Wildlife Week was called National Wildlife Restoration Week, and it is the longest-running educational program that the NWF has created. Each year, a new theme is decided upon and fun activities and informative materials are made available to the masses accordingly.
Over the years, people have actively participated in National Wildlife Week to bring awareness about the various topics it covers. Children can also approach their state’s/county’s elected officials to help organize campaigns. Legislations and acts have also been passed in honour of the week. Overall, National Wildlife Week has been achieving new goals each year but, still, much work needs to be done for a better life for our wildlife in the long run.
