A passionate couple moved to India to save the nation from complete deforestation by rescuing and rehabilitating barren farmland.
For those seeking inspiration even though they have been told that one person can’t make a difference, look no further. This is actually a story about a couple who followed their passion for rehabilitating land, wildlife, and the fresh water supply in India despite the odds being stacked against them.
Anil and Pamela Malhotra first married in 1960 and lived in the United States until they returned to India for Anil’s father’s funeral and saw the terrible state of the country. Anil told the India Times what he saw when he returned to his native country: “There was so much deforestation, the timber lobby was in charge, and the river was polluted. And no one seemed to care. That was when we decided to do something to reclaim the forests in India.” He went on further to explain that the fresh water supply was running out and the land was in dire need of restoration to the forest land it once was.
Credit: Melissa Lesh
Additionally, the couple, now a team of people, rehabilitates and introduces native wildlife to the forests to protect the animals make the forests home to these beautiful creatures again. The land, now called the Save Animals Initiative (SAI), is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including Asian elephants, leopards, foxes, monkeys, river otters, and over 300 species of birds.
