India, July 11 -- By all means, add 200 panda Reels to your Insta Blend. Pet every kitty that lets you. Foster a pup and fall in love. Feed your friend's fish when they're on vacation. Make friends with the neighbour's turtle, even. But don't for a moment believe that showing up for animals is fun or glamorous.

Across cities and villages, regular folks are making it their business to protect species that most Indians want to attack on sight. Some spend a whole day coaxing a snake out of a stairwell, others have convinced panicked villagers to spare the life of a monitor lizard. Young people have rehabbed bats, wrangled baby crocs from poachers, and seen lizard eggs as worth saving. We asked some of them about the rescues they'll never fo...