Gauri Maulekhi


Gauri Maulekhi is an animal rights activist in India. She is a co-opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India and a trustee in Maneka Gandhi's People for Animals. She has been part of and has led successful campaigns for animal rights such as the campaign against the practice of sacrificial slaughtering of cattle. She is also a consultant with Humane Society International, one of the world largest animal protection groups. She is a protege of Maneka Gandhi.

Background

Gauri Maulekhi started working for People for Animals in Lucknow in 1995 as a volunteer where she played a vital role in setting up the first animal shelter in the city. She also helped raise funds for the shelter, conduct programmes for the finding homes for dogs and coordinate the ambulance service for animals in distress. She then worked with the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Noida from 2004 to 2008. She helped run the animal shelter and was part of raids related to cruelty to animals. This is where she also stepped into the legal area of animal rights and welfare. In 2008 she joined PFA Dehradun. In 2010 she set up the Uttarakhand unit of People for Animals, People for Animals Uttarakhand. She currently is part of the team in New Delhi of People for Animals India.
Maulekhi is active internationally. She lobbied in Nepal to end the huge mass religious animal slaughter at Gadhimai festival. Back in India in 2013 there was a climate disaster when the North India floods were created by unusual torrential rain. Maulekhi helped evacuate more than 6,000 animals from the flooded Kedarnath region. Saving these animals influenced future national policy for dealing with disasters. The plans now incorporate a consideration of animal welfare. Maulekhi also helped the campaign to end the wildlife trade at the Sonepur Animal Fair. These acts earned Maulekhi the Nari Shakti Award.
In 2019 Maulekhi began a campaign to get the government to realise its past commitments to improve animal welfare. She wrote to each of India's states regarding a ten year old directive to form State Animal Welfare Boards. These boards were requested by the Supreme Court and although some were created, others were not. Those that were formed were there in name only as they lacked staff or a budget. In 2020 Maulekhi asked India's Supreme Court to issue a writ to require states to create State Animal Welfare Boards.

Awards and honours