At a Glance
Four dates in Sankhala’s life.
1953
He joined the Rajasthan Forest Service.
September 1970
He won a ban on exporting tiger, leopard, and panther skins.
April 1973
Indira Gandhi named him Project Tiger’s first Director.
1992
He received the Padma Shri.
In this lesson
From Hunting Permits to Project Tiger
Who he was, and his training
- Kailash Sankhala was born on 30 January 1925 in Jodhpur. He died on 15 August 1994 in Jaipur, aged 69.
- He earned a Master’s degree from Jaswant College, Jodhpur. He took a postgraduate diploma in Forestry from the Indian Forest College, Dehradun, in 1953.
- He joined the Rajasthan Forest Service in 1953.
The turning point, and the big appointment
- Early on, while issuing hunting permits, Sankhala was made to shoot a tiger himself. It haunted him. It made him a lifelong conservationist.
- In 1956, he appealed to the Rajasthan Wildlife Board to stop tiger hunting. It was one of the earliest such appeals in India.
- He was Director of the Delhi Zoological Park from 1965 to 1970.
- In April 1973, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi hand-picked him as first Director of Project Tiger.
- He received the Padma Shri in 1992 for his work in wildlife conservation.
True or False: Kailash Sankhala was appointed the first Director of Project Tiger in April 1973 by Indira Gandhi.
Two Decades of Groundwork
Reforming the zoo, exposing the fur trade, and going international
- At Delhi Zoo, Sankhala stopped animals from being made to perform. He redesigned enclosures to look more like tigers’ natural habitat.
- In 1967, he investigated the illegal tiger and leopard fur trade in Delhi’s markets. He published his findings on the front page of The Indian Express.
- In 1969, he appealed to the IUCN about India’s fast-falling tiger numbers.
The survey, the trade ban, shaping the law, and his later legacy
- In May 1970, he won the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship for a study titled “The Controversial Tiger”. It funded an all-India tiger survey.
- In September 1970, he persuaded Union Minister Karan Singh to ban exports of tiger, leopard, and panther skins and their products.
- He served on India’s first Task Force on Tigers. Dr. Karan Singh, Anne Wright, M.K. Ranjitsinh, and Zafar Futehally were also members. Its work led directly to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- He was Rajasthan’s Chief Wildlife Warden from 1978 to 1983. He helped establish Ranthambhore, Keoladeo Ghana (Bharatpur), and Desert National Parks. See Ranthambore, Keoladeo, and Desert National Park.
- He founded the Tiger Trust in 1989. He wrote several books, including “Tiger! The Story of the Indian Tiger” (1978). The environment ministry later created the Kailash Sankhala Fellowship in his honour.
True or False: Sankhala’s 1970 export ban covered tiger, leopard, and panther skins and their products.
Guilt Turned Into a Life’s Work
A real transformation, and foundational fieldwork
- His change was real, not just a symbolic origin story. He wrote that the tiger’s “open eyes have haunted me all my life”. He gave his life to tigers to overcome that guilt.
- His field research covered tiger territoriality, scent-marking, and calls. It was foundational. Much of how India manages tiger reserves today traces back to it.
- Project Tiger’s legal power grew well after his tenure, once tigers vanished from Sariska. The NTCA was set up administratively in 2005. It gained statutory backing in 2006, through an amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. See Project Tiger and NTCA.
Dates worth being careful about
- Keep three dates straight: joined the Rajasthan Forest Service (1953), became Project Tiger’s first Director (1973), and received the Padma Shri (1992). A question might swap one for another.
- Do not confuse “Project Tiger was launched in 1973” with “Sankhala was appointed its first Director”. The first is the scheme. The second is a specific role in it. A statement question could make one true and the other subtly wrong.
- Any question on Project Tiger’s early history or first Director is really testing Sankhala’s work. See also Wildlife in India.
Think it through: why does a question on “Project Tiger’s first Director” need care?
The trap is mixing two facts that share a year. Project Tiger launched in 1973. Sankhala was named its first Director in 1973 too, by Indira Gandhi herself. A statement joining them can make one part true and the other subtly wrong. It might name the wrong person or the wrong year.
True or False: Sankhala’s field research on tiger territoriality and scent-marking still shapes how India manages tiger reserves today.
True or False: Project Tiger gained full statutory legal backing during Sankhala’s own tenure as its first Director.
True or False: As Rajasthan’s Chief Wildlife Warden from 1978 to 1983, Sankhala helped establish Ranthambhore, Keoladeo Ghana, and Desert National Parks.
True or False: Sankhala founded the Tiger Trust in 1989 and authored “Tiger! The Story of the Indian Tiger” in 1978.
Quick Q&A
Who named Sankhala Project Tiger’s first Director?
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in April 1973.
Which minister did he persuade to ban skin exports?
Karan Singh, in September 1970.
When did he receive the Padma Shri?
1992.
What did he change at Delhi Zoo?
He stopped animal performances and redesigned enclosures.
When was the Tiger Trust founded?
1989.
🎲 Practice: Kailash Sankhala
5 verified questions from this topic.
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