Nandankanan Zoological Park hosts 72nd Wildlife Week

The Nature and Wildlife Conservation Society of Odisha (NWCSO), in partnership with Nandankanan Zoological Park, held the 72nd Wildlife Week 2026 in Bhubaneswar. The event was centered on the theme ‘Connecting Habitats, Thriving Wildlife,’ which highlights the necessity of habitat connectivity for protecting wildlife populations and maintaining biodiversity.

Attendees included retired Indian Forest Service officers, NWCSO President Saroj Kumar Patnaik, Working President Anup Nayak, and Nandankanan Zoological Park Deputy Director Pradeep Mirase. The program featured discussions on critical conservation issues, including a talk by BK Patnaik on man-animal conflict and a presentation by Anup Kumar Nayak regarding the ecological importance of dolphins.

The celebration also included a prize distribution for winners of an Odia essay competition held at the Foresters Training School in Ghatikia. The event concluded with a call for collective action to strengthen conservation efforts, protect natural habitats, and increase public environmental awareness.