Mumbai: The Walt Disney Company has announced the award of grants to 43 non-profit organisations working with communities in 25 countries to protect more than 60 animal species this year as part of its ongoing efforts to support a healthier planet for people and wildlife.
Three non-profit organisations in India will benefit from the grants: the International Rhino Foundation, Panthera, and the Turtle Survival Alliance.
The International Rhino Foundation, which creates rhino habitats in India, will use its grant to protect the Indian rhinoceros by addressing threats such as habitat loss and poaching, as well as increasing numbers through a conservation breeding and translocation program.
Panthera's snow leopard conservation programme will use the grant to teach villagers, children, and religious leaders about snow leopards and the threats they face in northern India. Building predator-proof corrals for protest livestock, assisting with community income diversification and livestock insurance programs, and conducting ecological studies to better understand the impact of climate change on the snow leopard prey species' habitat use.
Through its Indian Turtle Conservation program, the Turtle Survival Alliance is working to ensure efficient and effective captive breeding of critically endangered black soft-shell turtles in temple bonds in Assam, north-east India, by breeding and expanding the head-starting facility at Nagsankar Temple in Tezpur. Aside from community education and awareness efforts and the establishment of a reintroduction protocol to aid in the recovery of the remaining turtle populations, the programme seeks to engage local fishermen in the conservation program.
Disney Star head of corp. communications & enterprise social responsibility George Cherian said, "As stewards of the environment, we have an obligation to future generations to pass on a cleaner and greener planet to them. Protecting our wildlife and nature is at the heart of our various sustainability programs, and it’s heartening to see the dedication of our NGO partners, who are so deeply devoted to making a happier and healthier planet possible for all."
Disney is committed to saving wildlife and building a global community inspired to protect the magic of nature together. Since 1995, Disney has directed more than $120 million and the expertise of our dedicated teams to support organisations working with communities to save wildlife, inspire action, and protect the planet.
