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added Category:Protected areas established in 1991 using HotCat

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = SAI Sanctuary
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = kn
| other_name =
| nickname =
| settlement_type = Village
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| pushpin_map = India Karnataka
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_alt = 11° 58′ 5.54″ N 75° 52′ 57.58″ E
| coordinates = {{coord|11|58|5.54|N|75|52|57.58|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Karnataka]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Kodagu district]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Subdivision of Karnataka|Subdivision]]
| subdivision_name3 =
| subdivision_type4 =
| subdivision_name4 =
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type = [[Panchayati raj (India)|Panchayat raj]]
| governing_body = [[Gram panchayat]]
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 =
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Kannada]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 571249
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| area_code =
| registration_plate =KA
| website = http://www.saisanctuary.com/cont.htm
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-KA]]
| footnotes =

}}
'''SAI (Save Animals Initiative) Sanctuary''' is located in the [[Kodagu district]] in the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[Karnataka]].
SAI Sanctuary is the only private sanctuary in India.<ref name=bi/>
It is spread over an area of 1.2 square km.<ref name=dh>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/195432/green-initiative.html|title=Green Initiative|work=Deccan Herald|accessdate=21 December 2015}}</ref>
It is managed by SAI Sanctuary Trust. SAI Sanctuary trust won the Wildlife and Tourism Initiative of the Year Award-2014 for Eco-Tourism that protects forests and wildlife.<ref name=odj>{{cite web|url=http://www.outdoorjournal.in/focus-2/award-winning-husband-wife-team-attempts-save-indian-rainforests-buying/|title=Award-winning couple attempts to save India's rainforests by buying them up|author=The Outdoor Journal|date=12 February 2015|work=The Outdoor Journal|accessdate=21 December 2015}}</ref>

==History==
[[file:Ms. Pamela Gale Malhotra, Karnataka.jpg|thumb|left|Ms. Pamela Gale Malhotra receiving the [[Nari Shakti Puraskar]] in 2017]]
Dr. Anil Kumar Malhotra and [[Pamela Malhotra]] first went to the [[Himalayas]], but they were only allowed to buy 12 acres so they came south to start the SAI (Save Animals Initiative) Sanctuary Trust.<ref name="bi">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/16294/couple-man-made-wildlife-sanctuary-hosts-animals-like-bengal-tigers/|title=The Couple Who Bought Barren Land In 1991 And Transformed It Into A 300 Acre Wildlife Sanctuary|work=The Better India|accessdate=23 April 2020}}</ref> They bought around 55 acres of unused and abandoned land from the [[farmer]]s who were not using it due to excess of rainfall in [[Kodagu district]] of [[Karnataka]].
They kept buying lands from farmers who were not using them. The land was used and farmers got money to repay their debts as their land was idle. Gradually the 55 acre forest cover became larger and today{{when|date=April 2020}} covers 300 acres of the land. There were a lot of native trees there. The couple decided to retain those and follow three rules: no chopping down trees, no human interference and no poachers.

The wildlife sanctuary started in 1991. After 23 years, they had transformed the 55 acres of barren land they bought in 1991 into a 300 acre sanctuary<ref name=bi/> with a river that is home to fish and snakes, including the [[King Cobra]]. The huge trees and thick forest helped several birds like the [[hornbill]] find their homes. There are over 300 species of birds that visit this sanctuary.<ref name=odj/> Several cameras are installed across the sanctuary to identify new animals and keep a track on [[poacher]]s.

When the Malhotra couple purchased the land, there were already native species of cardamom and other trees that were planted. They planted more native trees around these. As the tree cover expanded, the animal and bird species increased. The flora includes hundreds of varieties of indigenous trees.

The couple grow 10-12 acres of coffee and around 15 acres of cardamom. They are involved in [[organic farming]]. The sanctuary is off-grid and it runs completely on solar and alternate energy.<ref name=dh/> It is a registered not-for-profit trust which runs on donations which get tax exemptions.

As the area is very large it is hard to keep track of the poachers. To counter this, they spread awareness about preserving wildlife and nature in schools and nearby villages. The wildlife on their sanctuary includes [[Bengal Tiger|Bengal Tigers]],<ref name="bi">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/16294/couple-man-made-wildlife-sanctuary-hosts-animals-like-bengal-tigers/|title=The Couple Who Bought Barren Land In 1991 And Transformed It Into A 300 Acre Wildlife Sanctuary|work=The Better India|accessdate=23 April 2020}}</ref> [[Asian Elephant|Asian Elephants]],<ref name="dh">{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/195432/green-initiative.html|title=Green Initiative|work=Deccan Herald|accessdate=21 December 2015}}</ref> [[Hyena]], [[Wild Boar]], [[Leopard|Leopards]], [[Sambar deer|Sambhar]] and the giant Malabar squirrel.<ref name="odj">{{cite web|url=http://www.outdoorjournal.in/focus-2/award-winning-husband-wife-team-attempts-save-indian-rainforests-buying/|title=Award-winning couple attempts to save India's rainforests by buying them up|author=The Outdoor Journal|date=12 February 2015|work=The Outdoor Journal|accessdate=21 December 2015}}</ref>

On [[International Women's Day]] in 2017, she was in [[New Delhi]] where she was awarded the [[Nari Shakti Puraskar]] by President [[Pranab Mukherjee]] at the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wcd.nic.in/nari-shakti-awardees-ms-pamela-gale-malhotra|title=Nari Shakti Awardees- {{!}} Ministry of Women & Child Development {{!}} GoI|website=wcd.nic.in|access-date=2020-04-21}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Western Ghats}}

[[Category:Tourist attractions in Kodagu district]]
[[Category:Wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1991]]

SAI Sanctuary - Revision history

imported>BrownHairedGirl: added Category:Protected areas established in 1991 using HotCat