World Wildlife Day 2021: History, importance and theme of this year

Today, the world is celebrating World Wildlife Day. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly at its 68th session proclaimed March 3 as UN World Wildlife Day and since 2013, people from all across the world celebrate it to create awareness about wildlife. This day has become one of the most important global annual events dedicated to wildlife.

This year, the UN has announced the theme “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet.”

On World Wild Life Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi salutes all those working towards wildlife protection. He said, be it lions, tigers, and leopards, India is seeing a steady rise in the populations of various animals.

On #WorldWildlifeDay, I salute all those working towards wildlife protection. Be it lions, tigers and leopards, India is seeing a steady rise in the population of various animals. We should do everything possible to ensure protection of our forests and safe habitats for animals.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 3, 2021

Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar took to Twitter and wrote,

India has thriving wildlife & biodiversity.
70% of Global Tiger population .70 % of Asiatic Lions.
60% of Leopard population.
The @narendramodi govt. is working on reintroduction of Cheetah,which went extinct in 1952.
...this Big Cat will be a reality soon.

#WorldWildlifeDay pic.twitter.com/uhQFxI0yT4

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) March 3, 2021

India's renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture at Puri Beach in Odisha to do the same.

On #WorldWildlifeDay My SandArt at Puri beach in Odisha with message We love our wildlife. pic.twitter.com/YowxSZ31c5

— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) March 3, 2021

World Wildlife Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that their conservation provides to people.