Shah Rukh Khan to star in wildlife protection campaign!

THE HINDU
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Shah Rukh Khan to star in wildlife protection campaign

Mumbai, July 17: One of Bollywood's top actors Shah Rukh Khan has taken on a new role - as protector of India's threatened wildlife.

Khan will speak out against illegal animal trade and talk about the crucial role forest guards play in a new wildlife preservation campaign to be screened at airports and on television across the country.

“The forest guards are real life heroes because they work to save the jungles and the animals that live there,” Khan says in the ad, according to paper. “Day in and day out they are matching their wits and battling powerful enemies including wildlife poachers and timber smugglers, and they are willing to lay down their lives for this.”

Khan's representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

Poaching has savaged India's tiger population, and a thriving black market exists for animals such as leopards and rhinoceros.

Hundreds of leopards have been killed by poachers over the past two years, according to the Wildlife Protection Society of India. A recent tiger census that estimated 3,500 tigers in India is seen as too optimistic by conservationists who believe the true figure is closer to 2,000 or as little as several hundred.

Khan, 41, is one of India's biggest stars and has acted in more than 50 movies. His blockbusters include “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham”, “Kabhi Haan, Kabhi Na'” and “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”.

His wildlife protection message in English and Hindi is scheduled to be broadcast at India's international and domestic airports this week.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/009200707171240.htm