While other celebrities are doing their bit for the environment, talking about global warming or posing as caged animals, Shahrukh Khan will be doing his bit, telling the country about the hardships faced by the forest guard to protect its wildlife.

“He is our nation’s unsung national hero-the Indian forest guard. He is a real life hero because he does this to save the jungle and the animals that live there. Day in and day out, he is matching with and battling powerful enemies-wildlife poachers and timber smugglers and is willing to lay down his life for this”, Shahrukh Khan who has been roped in by an NGO will tell his fans.

Forest guard angle
But why the forest guard? Aneeta (Tykee) Malhotra of Sanskara Trust and Asian Conservation Awareness Programme (ACAP), the NGO which has launched this awareness campaign, explains that forest guards put themselves in danger to protect the wildlife and the forest, as they deal with poachers and report problems in the jungle.

She adds that forest guards in India have been working without proper facilities.

One might question the contribution of an awareness campaign on forest guards in sensitising the public towards their environment. Here lies the catch! While Shahrukh speaks about the forest guard, the campaign asks people to help forest guards by shunning wildlife products.

Aneeta adds that the general public consume those products which are manufactured from the depleting resources.
The demand for ivory products, tiger products, puts at risk many endangered species.

Less of demand for such products would mean less of poaching, which would help forest guards. The ad awareness campaign will  soon be seen on leading TV channels.

Govt campaign
Apart from these, the Airport Authority of India and the ministry of civil aviation have also come forward to support the campaign, which also will be shown at the domestic and international airports to reach to domestic and foreign tourists.

The message shall later also be flashed on billboards, hoardings, etc, to get across to all. The idea is to build awareness about trade in wildlife products  and influence the buying decisions of the public to protect endangered wildlife.

The wildlife conservation organisation has conducted similar campaigns in the past with celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah and Sachin Tendulkar addressing issues like trade in ivory products and tiger trade.