Photo : Lakshitha Karunarathna
Sanctuary Asia began its journey one quiet evening in 1980. Sitting around Fateh Singh Rathore’s campfire under the banyan tree outside Jogi Mahal, Ranthambhore, Bittu Sahgal made an impulsive promise to his mentor that on his return to Mumbai he would start a wildlife magazine and galvanise urban Indians in support of the country’s wilds.
The first issue rolled out in October 1981, with no business plan, no editorial experience and no capital. Since then, Sanctuary has been chronicling India’s natural history and shaping conservation discourse without having missed a single issue despite wars, social strife and economic meltdowns. It is published monthly, with every alternate month’s publication dedicated to young readers.
In 2015, the foundation was established to manipulate the magazine’s wide network of conservationists, naturalists, photographers, writers and editors who run the several projects, campaigns and events that thrive under the Sanctuary brand. The foundation’s reach spans policy, advocacy, science, on-ground support for field workers and environmental education.
At the heart of our purpose lies the conviction that the economies of nations sit on a foundation of stable ecosystems. Sanctuary envisions a world with abundant biodiversity, a sustainable climate and an equitable future for one and all.
Read the latest issue.
Explore Fortress India, a movement to reconnect Indians with the land, history, ecology, and values that define us. Also in this issue – a stunning photofeature on herps of the Western Ghats, the return of olive ridley turtles to Goa, Western Himalaya’s moths, the elusive pygmy hog, and the need to rethink our true place within Earth’s living systems. Visit the Bhutan Glory Wildlife Trail, Vietnam's rainforests, a ‘Village of Vultures’, and investigate the future of the Asiatic lion in Gir.
Encouraged by the support it received, three years after the first edition of Sanctuary Asia came out, a second magazine was launched in 1984. Sanctuary Cub is the first and still the only children’s nature magazine in India. With an aim to instill respect and concern for the environment and wildlife in young children, for many young Indians, Cub continues to be their first introduction to the wild and wonderful world of nature.
Currently edited by Tara Sahgal, Sanctuary Cub aims to inculcate in children an urgency to take action and the need to create a positive change in a society that gives little thought to its rapidly depleting biodiversity.
Read the latest issue.
Explore the untold stories of nature in the September 2026 issue! Lakshmy Raman and Shatakshi Gawade explore stories that surround us, ResQ Charitable Trust works hard to rehabilitate a sea turtle, and Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll shows how to be a climate detective! Discover the mysteries of prehistoric life through paleoart, meet Dr. Priya Agnihotri who is on a quest to understand Indian amber, and dive into the world of ocean creatures that wash ashore to tell tales of the deep blue world.
