The representative of Delhi-based NGO Wildlife SOS — facing allegations of links with a leopard poaching network and operating facilities in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972 — will be dropped from Delhi’s board for wildlife, days after the Government notified its induction.
Delhi’s Environment Minister Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the NGO has worked with the Delhi Forest Department on wildlife rescue since 2018 and the proposal to include it as a member of the board for wildlife was moved in February 2026. The final proposal went to the competent authority for approval in July.
“It has now come to our knowledge that some cases were made in August 2026 in Madhya Pradesh relating to the NGO’s alleged involvement in a wildlife crime. In light of this, Wildlife SOS will be dropped from the Board, and its association with the Delhi Forest Department ends from today itself,” said Sirsa when asked about the induction of the NGO. “A formal order to this effect will be issued. There will be no compromise on protecting wildlife,” he added.
The inclusion of a representative of Wildlife SOS in Delhi’s board for wildlife came to light after the Department of Forest and Wildlife issued a gazette notification on October 23, constituting the Board for Wildlife for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
A state board for wildlife’s duties include advising the state Government regarding issues such as the formulation of the policy for protection and conservation of wildlife and specified plants, according to Section 8 of the WPA, 1972.
Established in 1995, Wildlife SOS has over the years launched several initiatives to protect India’s endangered animals and natural habitat, including anti-poaching activity, rescue and rehabilitation facilities, and in-situ habitat conservation.
However, in August, media reports emerged linking Wildlife SOS to an alleged leopard poaching case in Madhya Pradesh.
The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) asked chief wildlife wardens (CWLWs) of six states and a Union Territory to inspect the establishments managed by Wildlife SOS for allegedly violating the WPA, 1972.
Key alleged violations at Wildlife SOS’s facilities include operating as a zoo without mandatory CZA approval or statutory recognition; acquiring rescued wild animals without required approval for long-term care; and failing to submit animal inventories within prescribed deadlines. Moreover, in a letter dated September 22, the CZA directed Uttar Pradesh’s CWLW to take appropriate action regarding a bear rescue facility in Agra, managed by Wildlife SOS, as it allegedly operated for over a year without renewal of its mandatory recognition.
It also allegedly failed to report the acquisition of three sloth bears to the authority and did not mention the source of their acquisition, among other violations.
The establishment operates under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Wildlife SOS and the state Government’s environment department, according to the letter, written in response to the NGO’s application to renew the facility’s recognition.