Wildlife activist Billy Arjan Singh dies at 94

Eminent wildlife activist and author Padma Bhushan Billy Arjan Singh died at his residence in Lakhimpur Kheri late on Friday night.

Eminent wildlife activist and author Padma Bhushan Billy Arjan Singh died at his residence in Lakhimpur Kheri late on Friday night. Singh,whose house was situated near the Dudhwa National Park,was ailing for quite some time. He was 94.

A wildlife enthusiast who was known for his work on big cats,Singh was born in Gorakhpur district. A scion of the Ahluwalia royal family from Kapurthala,Singh was a second lieutenant with the British Indian Army and fought the Second World War in 1946.

After returning to India,he purchased a small farmland in Lakhimpur Kheri district near a forest area,and built his house Tiger Haven. The forest area was later developed into the Dudhwa Wildlife Santuary.

Singh had been conferred with a number of national and international awards for his wildlife conservation efforts. The Central government had awarded him with the Padmashri in 1995 and the Padma Bhushan in 2006.

In 2004,the World Wildlife Fund conferred him with the J Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to international conservation. The state government had also conferred the Yash Bharti award on him.

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