Every year March 3 is celebrated as World Wildlife Day to raise awareness about our planet’s flora and fauna.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was finalised on March 3 and the day has been celebrated as World Wildlife Day since 2014. CITES is an international agreement between the governments of 183 countries to protect wild plants and animals and ensure their survival.

This year the theme is “Big cats — predators under threat.

" “UN World Wildlife Day 2018 will feature a star-studded cast — cheetah, clouded leopard, jaguar, leopard, lion, puma, snow leopard, tiger. These most majestic predators on our planet are facing many and varied threats, primarily caused by human activities, be it habitat loss, poaching, human-wildlife conflict or climate change,”said CITES Secretary-General, John E. Scanlon. Not just the big cats, the tiny insects, the slithering snakes and the agile deer are all under threat in our country.