Vikas Khanna told the story about the extraordinary human-animal bond.
Khanna, who posted the photograph on Twitter and Instagram, said he shot it in a village in Rajasthan where a majority of the Bishnois reside.
“The greatest form of humanity is compassion,” Khanna quoted the woman as saying in his post which was accompanied by hashtags #highestrespect #belovedIndia.
The New York-based chef and the judge of MasterChef India said the woman told him that she had breastfed and saved the lives of many injured baby fawn in Rajasthan.
In the picture, the woman is seen wearing a colourful traditional Rajasthani attire with a fawn suckling her.
As a community, the Bishnois believe strongly in protecting the environment and wildlife. They are known for their love of chinkaras and deer. The community doesn't let poachers hunt animals in areas where they live - mainly western Rajasthan - and also protect trees. In fact, the famous forest conservation movement known as the Chipko movement is believed to have been inspired by a woman from the Bishnoi community.
No wonder then that netizens are left in awe of the picture.
"Bishnoi women have always been ahead of time as seen in the Chipko movement too where they were the mainstay. More power to them," writes one person on Twitter. "This is indeed the highest... form of humanity. She is a mother to be venerated and honoured. Bishnoi community has always treated blackbucks as their own children," tweets another.
"I knew about their love for wildlife but this is something out of the world! Thanks so much for this post," comments one person on Instagram. "This is the height of humanity... great woman she is," writes another.
