In photos: India’s diverse wildlife is drowning and dying in human filth

In the absence of efficient waste management systems, India is grappling with a mammoth garbage problem. Thousands of tonnes of untreated and unsegregated waste pollute the country’s land, water and air, while serving as toxic foraging grounds for a plethora of wild animals.

To highlight this travesty, I and my colleague at the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, Prachi Galange, conceptualised an Instagram project titled #InOurFilth. The project invites photographers from across India to submit images that illustrate the impact of garbage on nation’s wild species. We then curate the submissions and post an image each week on the Instagram handle of Sanctuary Nature Foundation.

The project was born in the photo library of the Foundation. Galange, who works as the photo editor and naturalist at the Foundation, and I noticed an alarming number of images that showcase wild animals in heavily polluted surroundings. It was then that we thought of #InOurFilth as a public awareness campaign to draw the link between our everyday consumption and the condition of wild animals that are forced to share space with us.

Here are some images of wildlife #InOurFilth.