When Anne Wright’s family returned to Britain after Independence, she chose to stay. India wasn’t just home — it was her cause. For decades, she fought to protect its forests, shaped conservation policies and left a legacy that still echoes through its wilderness today.

Born in 1929, Anne spent her childhood exploring Melghat and Kanha’s forests. Unlike most children, she tracked tiger pugmarks, searched for scorpions, and watched panthers leap across fort walls.

In 1966–67, the Great Bihar Famine devastated both communities and wildlife. As starving animals staggered out of forests, they were hunted down before they could find food. Unable to stand by, Anne raised funds, built waterholes, and provided relief to both people and wildlife.

Wildlife historian Raza Kazmi recalls, “Her kindness touched many Adivasi communities who relied on her team for food, water, and medicines.”

Anne had long visited Palamau’s forests, but by the 1960s, she noticed tiger numbers declining. She worked with dedicated forest officers like SP Shahi, bringing in international conservationists to train officers and develop a wildlife management plan.

Anne exposed Kolkata’s illegal tiger skin trade in 1970 through an article in The Statesman. It led to a Parliament debate, Indira Gandhi’s ban on tiger hunting, and the launch of Operation Tiger, which later became Project Tiger, transforming India’s wildlife conservation efforts. “That was the power of her pen,” Kazmi notes.

Anne also fought for the creation of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, Balphakram National Park, and Neora Valley National Park. She tirelessly campaigned, raised funds, and pressured governments to protect these forests.

Anne was instrumental in drafting India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — the very law that still protects India’s wildlife today. Interestingly, she sourced a copy of the Kenyan Wildlife Act, which alongside the Bombay Animals Act, helped shape the final legislation.

In a time when conservation was dominated by men, Anne stood her ground. She worked closely with forest officers, politicians, and global conservationists. Kazmi highlights,"She was working in forests hardly visited by any naturalist, much less anyone worrying about their conservation."

Anne’s decades of dedication earned her the Order of the Golden Ark award in 1979 and the ‘Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’ (MBE) in 1983. But her greatest achievement? The forests and wildlife she helped save, and the generations she inspired to fight for conservation.

In 1982, Anne returned to Kanha, where she had once roamed as a child. She founded Kipling Wildlife Camp, spending her final years surrounded by the nature she had dedicated her life to protecting.

Kazmi reflects on her impact, “I can think of very few people, perhaps none, who single-handedly worked over such a long period, over so many states, and with such incredible results.” Anne’s fight isn’t over — it’s ours to continue.