Gauri Maulekhi

Gauri Maulekhi is an animal rights activist in India. She is a co-opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) 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 (an Indian politician and India's leading animal rights crusader).

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 (SPCA) 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.

Awards and honours

• 8 March 2018: Nari Shakti Puraskar (Women Power Award), highest civilian award for women in India.