Sanctuary Asia

Sanctuary Asia, India’s leading wildlife, conservation and environment magazine was started by Editor Bittu Sahgal in 1981 to raise awareness among Indians of their disappearing natural heritage. The overwhelming response to the magazine led to the birth of Sanctuary Cub, children’s nature magazine, in 1984 and to The Ecologist Asia (Indian edition of The Ecologist, UK) a journal dedicated to the issues of the environment, development and human rights, in 1993.
In the 1980s, Sanctuary Films produced two wildlife/conservation serials aired on Doordarshan, India’s national television network. The first, Project Tiger, was a documentary while the other, Rakshak, was a narrative serial for children. The films were shot on 16 mm. and the Sanctuary team visited virtually every wildlife haven in India (stock footage available on request).
In the early 1990s, Sanctuary’s scope expanded. We began to reach out to larger numbers through the syndication of articles. Sanctuary Features was born and it used the mainstream press to put forward alternate views on wildlife and development issues. Features covered a variety of subjects including travel, science, health, nutrition, and the politics of development. Sanctuary Features is now also a leading content provider for websites interested in the above subjects.

Sanctuary Photo Library, our stock photo agency, has a fully computerized database of images that are available on request. Our focus is on Indian/Asian natural history and is used by academics, picture researchers for publications, non-profits, websites, advertising agencies and corporate communicators. Sanctuary is a melting pot of natural history visuals, information and resources and these are put to good use to produce some of the finest wildlife and nature calendars, posters, slide shows, exhibitions and other products available in India. These high quality products can be made available at reasonable rates and can be delivered anywhere in the world.

Sanctuary Cub reaches out to children across India through schools and nature clubs. We conduct nature walks, camps, slide shows and rallies for children with the help of qualified naturalists and environmental educationists.

Sanctuary is at the fulcrum of several wildlife conservation campaigns and serves as a network for wildlife groups, concerned individuals and non-profit organizations. It is also a source of information for press and television reporters.

In summary, the organization could be described as one that aims to communicate the rationale for wildlife conservation and environmental protection. Our focus is the Indian subcontinent and Asia, but our horizon spans the globe. Sanctuary is a privately owned, self-supporting venture and does not accept any donations. Its funding sources are advertisements, subscriptions and content provision.