‘The Wildlife Preservation Society of Northern India’ was launched at the instance of Shri P.D. Stracey, IFS on 13th April 1958 with headquarter at Dehradun. Society aimed to tackle the problem of India’s vanishing wildlife from the ‘public’ side. H.H. Maharaja Pratap Singh of Nabha became the first President of the Society. Society published its first wildlife journal titled ”Çheetal” on 13th October, 1958. Insignia of a cheetalbust was designed by Maharaj Kumar of Rajpipla for “Cheetal”
Journal. In April, 1960, society was expanded into an all India body and was re-named as “The Wildlife Preservation Society of India” The constitution of the society was adopted on 15th April, 1960. The Society was re-registered in 2017 as “The Wildlife Preservation Society” (WPS).