300 take part in ‘Run for Coexistence’ in Nainital for Wildlife Week

Nainital: Over 300 people — including school students, environmentalists, families and NGOs — joined the Run for Coexistence in Nainital on Saturday, as the G.B. Pant high-altitude zoo, along with the forest department and local authorities, marked Wildlife Week 2025 with a series of awareness events focused on human–animal harmony.The run was flagged off by former deputy director of the sports department and Asian Marathon Champion Suresh Pandey. Participants covered forest-adjacent routes wearing themed T-shirts, carrying banners and raising slogans on sustainable living and biodiversity protection. The event aimed to highlight the growing need to balance development with conservation in a region where forests and human settlements overlap.Held in two categories — school and open — the 3km school run covered the route from Band Stand, Mallital to Fasi Gadhera, Tallital, and back. The 12km open category route went from Band Stand to Pines and back. Prashant Bisht and Deepa Kumari, both from Govt Inter College, Nainital, won in the men's and women's categories, respectively.Following the marathon, a street play competition on human–animal coexistence featured teams from Army Public School, Maharishi Vidya Mandir and others. The plays focused on habitat encroachment, road accidents and human–wildlife conflict. Over 50 students participated, and the performances were judged by educators and forest officials.Participants observed a minute's silence in memory of animals lost to urban expansion and habitat loss. Swati, deputy director of Nainital zoo, said the turnout showed rising public concern for conservation. "In a region where human settlements and forests overlap, such initiatives remind us that coexistence is a shared responsibility and the key to a sustainable future," she said.A speaker at the event added, "We must live in such a way that wildlife can move freely in its natural space and humans can live safely in theirs. Coexistence is not an option, it is essential."