An Indian family has sheltered hundreds of orphaned wild animals, turning their home into a nature reserve
There is a special nature reserve in the Indian state of Maharashtra, where orphaned wild animals have found shelter. Their parents died at the hands of local tribes who hunt for food. The reserve was created by a local doctor. He understood the necessity of hunting, but he could not allow orphaned animals to starve to death.
(7 photos in total)
It all started in the 70s. One day, Dr. Prakash Amte and his wife were walking in the forest and came across a group of people returning from hunting. They were carrying a dead monkey. Prakash noticed a small monkey clinging to the body of a dead mother. It was a heartbreaking sight. The doctor decided that he could not allow the baby to be killed. He learned that the hunters were going to eat the cub, as well as the mother. Prakash exchanged the monkey for a bag of rice and clothes. So she became the first member of the future big family. Prakash named the monkey Babli. She quickly took root in the house and even made friends with the doctor's dog: she rode on her back, played with her. And Prakash Amte had an idea.
Amte knew that the local tribes hunted — this is the only source of food for them. He convinced people that there was little benefit from killing offspring, and offered to exchange orphaned animals for grain, clothing and medicines. The representatives of the tribes agreed, and soon the house of Amte turned into a real reserve.
Over the past forty years, this reserve has become a haven for many wild animals — from small rodents to jackals and leopards, pythons and crocodiles. Everyone was welcome here.
At some point, 300 animals of different species turned out to be in the reserve at the same time, they literally lived in the wild and were in close contact with people. Of course, some local residents did not like this state of affairs, they were pretty nervous and complained to the local government. After a number of complaints, Amte had to choose: either lock the animals in cages, or close the reserve. He built a fence, as required by the authorities, but still the reserve was more like a shelter for animals than a zoo.
Aniket Amte, the doctor's son, grew up surrounded by animals. In an interview, he said that he liked those times when there was no fence yet: "I remember how we, village children, together with animals went to the river to swim. We weren't afraid of them at all."
Today, almost a hundred animals live in the reserve. It is estimated that their number will decrease in the near future, because the tribes began to hunt less. Since the 70s of the last century, the Amte family has saved hundreds, if not thousands of orphaned animals.
Keywords: Wild animals | Home | Nature reserve | India | Orphans | Rescue