Environment

Wildlife enthusiast Billy Arjan Singh dies

by D.S.Rajput | January 1, 2010 at 09:54 pm

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New Delhi: Indian wildlife enthusiast and author Billy Arjan Singh died at his home - Tiger Haven - in the vicinity of the famous Dudhwa National Park, about 250 km from Lucknow, late Friday night. He was 94. Billy Arjan Singh was a hunter turned avid conservationist and author. Billy Arjan Singh was born in Gorakhpur on 15 August 1917 as the second son of Kunwar Jasbir Singh, CIE (1887–1942), a member of the royal Ahluwalia dynasty of Kapurthala. His grandfather was Harnam Singh, Raja Maharaj Singh was his uncle, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was his aunt and his elder brother was Air Vice-Marshal Kunwar Jaswant Singh, PVSM (1915–1963) in 1940, Singh was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the British Indian Army and fought in the Second World War, retiring in 1946 as a Lieutenant. Upon his return to India he purchased a farm on the edge of Dudhwa National Park in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of India. He lived in a residence he designed and calls 'Tiger Haven'.

Billy Arjan Singh was honoured for his conservation efforts with Padma Shri in 1995. One of India's highest national awards it is conferred on people who distinguish themselves in different fields. This was closely followed by the world wildlife gold medal in 1996, then the Order of the Golden Ark only a year later and the lifetime award for tiger conservation in March 1999. In 2004, when in his eighties, Billy Arjan Singh received the J.Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation award – a global honor administered by the World Wildlife fund – in recognition of his outstanding contribution to international conservation. He has been honored by several awards including the Padma Bhushan in 2006

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roy fallon (not verified)

at 12:16 on January 2nd, 2010

The world has lost one of its greatest ever heroes...Billy's life was a life well lived and it is through his efforts that the tigers roar can still be heard in Dudhwa...Billy was an honorary tiger and I have never had any other hero but him!!! Tigers forever...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diane Ward (not verified)

at 17:30 on January 2nd, 2010

Billy was a great man and as Mr. Fallon says, a genuine hero. He gave his entire life for something bigger than himself. We wont' see his like again.

Prabhjot Dhillon (not verified)

at 21:31 on January 2nd, 2010

Billy Arjan Singh has been taken for his cremation to tiger haven ,his home for the last few years,and today after he is burnt he shall take away with him the spirit of dudhwa

ashutosh (not verified)

at 06:50 on March 9th, 2010

we may call billy as honorary tiger. he made a crusade 4 saving tigers in tarai n lead to foundation of dudhw anational park. hats off to billy. billy raja ------------- amar rahe. bharat mata ki------------------ jai.