AN ATHERTON woman has appealed to animal lovers to help the work of young volunteer workers in India who are battling to protect wild habitats and species.

Ann Hillidge wants items such as binoculars, videos and a four-man-tent to send to the Green Cross -- a squad of dedicated conservation workers based in Goa, on the west coast of India. The volunteers, who are mostly in their twenties, help rehabilitate animals who have been abused -- such as snakes who have had their fangs taken out so they can be used to entertain tourists, and monkeys who have been kept in houses as pets.

Working alongside the Forestry Department of Goa, their aim is to nurse the animals back to health before releasing them back into their natural habitat. They also catch poachers as well as patrol the sanctuaries and report illegal timber felling. And they need cameras to build up their evidence against wrong-doing. Ann was impressed by their work when she spent several holidays in India, visiting her daughter who used to live there. She said: "I have so much respect for them. They don't have any property or a sanctuary where they can take the animals to -- they have to take them home with them." Ann will take the equipment she collects when she visits India before the end of March.

Anyone wanting to donate items can leave them at The Journal offices at 44-46 Railway Road in Leigh.

The Green Cross depends on voluntary donations and funds. It needs:

Two pairs of field binoculars with range of 7x50 and 10x50 for the patrolling squad to combat poaching.

Two tents with capacity of four people each for the patrolling squad.

Any old magazines, leaflets, annual reports, printed literature, or videos relating to wildlife for teaching purposes.

Funds to buy a slide projector for school visits and to patrol Goa's sanctuaries, combating tree felling and poaching. AN ATHERTON woman has appealed to animal lovers to help the work of young volunteer workers in India who are battling to protect wild habitats and species. Ann Hillidge (pictured above) wants items such as binoculars, videos and a four-man-tent to send to the Green Cross -- a squad of dedicated conservation workers based in Goa, on the west coast of India. The volunteers, who are mostly in their twenties, help rehabilitate animals who have been abused -- such as snakes who have had their fangs taken out so they can be used to entertain tourists, and monkeys who have been kept in houses as pets. Working alongside the Forestry Department of Goa, their aim is to nurse the animals back to health before releasing them back into their natural habitat. They also catch poachers as well as patrol the sanctuaries and report illegal timber felling. And they need cameras to build up their evidence against wrong-doing. Ann was impressed by their work when she spent several holidays in India, visiting her daughter who used to live there. She said: "I have so much respect for them. They don't have any property or a sanctuary where they can take the animals to -- they have to take them home with them." Ann will take the equipment she collects when she visits India net month. Anyone wanting to donate items can leave them at The Journal offices at 44-46 Railway Road in Leigh.

The Green Cross depends on voluntary donations and funds. It needs:

Two pairs of field binoculars with range of 7x50 and 10x50 for the patrolling squad to combat poaching.

Two tents with capacity of four people each for the patrolling squad.

Any old magazines, leaflets, annual reports, printed literature, or videos relating to wildlife for teaching purposes.

Funds to buy a slide projector for school visits and to patrol Goa's sanctuaries, combating tree felling and poaching.