Abhimanyu Madhusudanan

Animal behaviour and wildlife conservation have been sources of pure inspiration and enchantment for me throughout my school and undergraduate studies. Being from an army background, my family moved around across India, but the only thing that remained constant was my fascination with wildlife.

Starting from Animal Planet and being inspired by the legendary Steve Irwin to go out and explore, the outdoors became my haven. During my undergraduate course, I developed an interest in mammals and social behaviour and read various research papers about sociality in elephants and other mammals. I was fortunate enough to be given a chance to intern on a project under Prof Raman Sukumar (IISc Bangalore), to monitor corridor usage by elephants in the Kaziranga – Karbi Anglong landscape during floods. My experience interning with researchers from Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Germany, studying blackbuck leks, taught me the importance of technology in wildlife research and also how to fly a drone!! 

My major research interests include Mammalian Ecology and Human-Wildlife Interactions. Social Systems Evolution of primates is also something I would like to pursue in the future.

Apart from all things wildlife, I am an avid quizzer, and an anime connoisseur, do pick up the lens from time to time and I play squash.

Abhishek Tangaria

I've completed my graduation in B.Sc. Zoology from IGNOU,Delhi. I am from Delhi, and my interest in wildlife started with watching Discovery and National Geographic Channel. I'm interested in snakes and insects and would like to do photography in the same. Here at the Wildlife Institute of India, I'll be focusing on learning about the habitat and behavioral patterns of snakes in particular. I had a chance to rescue a juvenile wolf snake from my apartment. I want to see as many animals and birds as before this great mass extinction destroys the earth. Playing football and badminton keeps me fit and mentally sound. I like meditation and riding a bike is my love. I like sketching and writing as well.

Aditya Satish

Hey! I'm Aditya from Bangalore. I completed my undergraduate studies from Ashoka University, in Chemistry and Environmental Science. I've been hooked onto wildlife from an early age, and my passion only grew through little excursions in my city, where I watched whatever wildlife I'd stumble across. I was particularly ecstatic to see a snake race past me, or lay eyes on a flitting flycatcher.

I am primarily interested in studying herpetofauna and birds as taxa, while I feel drawn to mountains and islands as landscapes. Most recently, I was a Research Affiliate with Conservation Initiatives, working on amphibian surveys in Meghalaya. My research interests include community ecology, biogeography, evolutionary ecology, spatial ecology and taxonomy. Outside of the wildlife sphere, I am a football fanatic, an eager hiker, and pick up the occasional book every now and then. I am also particularly fond of Star Wars, the monsoons and umbrellas.

Arnab Dey Sarkar

BSc (Hons) in Zoology from City College (University of Calcutta)

I was born and brought up in the outskirts of Kolkata. Being from an industrial area, full of high-rise apartments and factories, I was always looking for a way out into the little bit of greenery there was around my home. So what started mostly as watching documentaries and chasing after colourful birds and dragonflies, turned into my passion as I grew older.

My passion got a direction after attending DST Inspire Summer Camp in 2016, where I interacted with some of the leading scientific minds from various spheres. In 2019, during my graduation, I interned at Agumbe Rainforest Research Station and assisted with their King Cobra Radio Telemetry project. This exposed me to the arduous field condition one must endure in this field, but the knowledge I gathered was much more rewarding. Afterwards, I’ve worked on snakebite mitigation in rural West Bengal with a local NGO. In 2021 I completed my graduation and joined Wildlife Institute of India as a Project Assistant in their Range wide River Dolphin Estimation Project, where I learnt a lot about freshwater ecosystem and the threats it is facing.

I’m interested in animal behaviour, mainly the role of rising anthropogenic pressure on animal behaviour and subsequent changes and implications on the ecosystem. Other than this, I’m an ardent fan of FC Barcelona and love to play football. I also like to read crime thrillers and recently I’ve developed a fascination towards cosmology.

Ashik C S

B.Sc. (Hons.) in Forestry ( College of forestry, Ponnampet)

I'm from Mysore, Karnataka. Basically I grew up watching the wildlife documentaries ever since my childhood and got fascinated towards animals, then I joined Forestry for my Bachelor’sdegree. During the first year of my college I was amazed by the Malabar grey hornbill and buildup curiosity towards birds and luckily my professor Dr. M jadeyegowda encouraged me towards the birding. Sacred grooves in the Kodagu and the wetlands in the Mysore became my places of exploration in the early days of birding. At the end of first year I started doing herping, after observing the mellifluous acoustics of frogs and the beauty of snakes that will come into life along with the rain in coorg that is situated in the mid-Western Ghats region. I completed my Bachelor’s degree exploring the diversified nature in coorg, along with trekking some mountains of western ghats. I did my bachelor's dissertation work on Avifaunal Diversity Along the Cauvery River in Kodagu.

I participated in the biodiversity assessment organized by Nagarahole Tiger Reserve which aimed at the survey on Birds, Butterflies and Trees in August 2020. I participated in butterfly survey organized by Hassan Forest Division in November 2020.  I also volunteered some other wildlife related surveys and I also involved in snake rescue operations and giving awareness about snakes. I and my friends used to travel and trek a lot during the college days. Apart from the above I like photography, riding bikes and calisthenics.

Aslam Mohammed

Forestry (Sir Syed College, Kannur University)

I am from Ernakulam, Kerala. An environment club in my school was the starting point of my journey towards nature and wildlife. The passion towards wildlife increased each and every time I was exposed to them. This motivated me to take my graduation in Forestry. During my graduation days I was fortunate to be a part of some wildlife census programs. I was part of Kerala Bird Atlas (2015-20) and Nilgiri Tahr Survey 2017 which gave me field exposure and knowledge about wildlife. I use to take seminar and classes for school students to create awareness about environment and importance of nature conservation. All those journeys have now brought me to the reputed Wildlife Institute of India and to a new world of wildlife studies. Now I wish to garner maximum knowledge about nature and wildlife and to be a part and partner of nature. I am also interested in poetry writing and playing chess and cricket.

Bindu K

B. Sc. (Hons.)in Forestry(College of Forestry, UAS, Dharwad)

Hailing from Bengaluru, Karnataka, the city of thousand lakes and garden city (well, no longer☹), I developed interest in observing nature. My interest piqued during my childhood summers spent in a remote village on the edge of Bannerghatta national park,an area with human-elephant conflict. Hiking in the forests, exploring new places there was my favorite pastime.Being exposed to wildlife and nature from a young age, I went on to pursue my degree in Forestry at Sirsi, a place nestled in the splendid landscape of Western Ghats. Spending time inthese diverse landscapesgot me interested in plants. I intend to study plant-animal interactions, especially pollination and dispersal studies.

Charushree Santosh

(BSc. In Zoology, SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai University)

My first story book was about a baby elephant named ‘Ammu’ being friends with two humans. The interest that started there grew more. I used to spend time watching Animal Planet and reading different books about animals. It was during my bachelors I was introduced to the subject of wildlife by one of my professors. During my bachelors I also got the opportunity to volunteer for Dugong and seagrass recovery project.

I am hoping to learn more about wildlife and become proficient in this subject. Few topics of my interest are primate behaviour, human-wildlife conflict and wildlife management and conservation. I also enjoy reading and painting.

David Phinehas N

Growing up in a campus with considerable green cover in Coimbatore, I was interested in observing birds even before joining kindergarten. Bird watching was one of the best parts of my childhood. In my teens I grew deep obsession on the sholas of Western Ghats due to their mysterious uniqueness and high levels of endemism. Having the fortune of looking at the Western Ghats from my home as well as my school classroom every day, I would often look out the window and be lost in their beauty rather than listening to classes. I pursued my undergraduate degree in zoology from Madras Christian College (MCC), Chennai. I made use of the sprawling campus of MCC to record its bird and butterfly diversity and also study the feeding and foraging behaviour of sympatric species of fruit bats and Indian Creasted Porcupine on Madhuca longifolia. During the pandemic, I started to observe and study mimicry in jumping spiders and the affects it has on its behaviour. I have travelled to various National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand and Andaman and Nicobar Islands to observe and record birds. When birding gives me a hard time, I spend my time reading, travelling, playing football and snooker, cycling and doing macro photography.my  During the pandemic, I started to observe and study mimicry in jumping spiders and the affects it has on its behaviour.

K. Niyaz Ahamed

B.Sc. (Hons.) in Forestry [College of Forestry – Ponnampet]

I am from the arid region of Deccan plateau that is city of victory Vijayanagara, Karnataka. Got fascinated towards nature from childhood and enjoyed catching the dragonflies and fishes with my brothers to rescuing the snakes with my father. Always fond of photography, and the birds got me really interested into the scientific study of nature and the otters of Tungabhadra otter reserve got me to a thinking of conservation and wildlife management. I have done my under graduation in B.sc. Forestry from College of Forestry - Ponnampet , Karnataka which got me an opportunity to visit most of the protected areas in Karnataka and work their regarding Birds, Butterflies, Otters and also in the Wildlife census. I want to explore the fields of ornithology, Otter ecology and Human-Wildlife conflict. Apart from wildlife, I am interested in Shuttle Badminton, Bike riding, Trekking, Wildlife photography etc.

Krishnapriya M

B.Sc in Zoology ( Farook College Autonomous , Calicut, Kerala)

When I was a kidI loved observing plants and animals around my home and our farmland. From Babblers feeding a baby hawk cuckoo twice as big as it’s own size to caterpillars on curry leaves changing into pretty butterflies everything were so much fascinating. I started learning about the local names of birds, butterflies and plants around me. I always wanted to go to a forest and seethe animals I saw in TV and learned in textbooks for real. After joining degree I tried to understand about animals, their behaviours and interactions deeper. I worked with Forest department by volunteering in wildlife surveys and in conducting social education programmes which tremendously fueled me to learn and experience more. Also in the meantime I got between my degree course I assisted as an intern in are search project of IISER, Tirupati dealing with modified landscape in tropical mountains and their impact on birds,in the Shola National parks of Munnar for one month. I also volunteered in the field works for the project ‘Genetic sampling of tigers, under NCBS, at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve ,Kerala.All these helped me to have a good exposure in conducting field samplings and more over valuable chance to spend quality time in forests and mountains exploring different vegetation, terrains and diversity of animals it support. I did my project during degree in the abundance of migratory species in the laterite midland hills of Vazhayur, Kerala. I want to work for conservation from the grassroots level through sustainable education. Trekking and cycling are myall timefavourite. Love reading books and enjoy singing.

Mukul Sudhakar

B.Sc. (Hons.) in Forestry (Doon Business School, Sri Dev Suman University)

Born and brought up in the 'Heart of India', Madhya Pradesh also known as the Tiger State of India, I have always been surrounded by rich forests and a plethora of Biodiversity.Since childhood, I have been watchingdocumentaries on Nat Geo, Discovery, and Animal planet.I have always beendeeply fascinated by the magnificent fauna around the globe which hasinspired me tostep into wildlife ever since. From then, I have been continuously exploring diverse locationsand searching for discoveries that aid my burning desireto enter the research field andcontribute my passion towards the greater good.All these years of curiosity and a desire to learn more eventually created a pathway for me to opt Forestry as my bachelor's degree.

Fortunately, I had the chance to work with two state forest departments—Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. I also got an opportunity to work with a local NGO and in Van Vihar National Park & Zoo. During this period, I learned about a widevariety of taxa while also working on them.I'm an inquisitive, self-drivensoul, constantly in search of discoveries meanwhile setting my foot in the field of wildlife sciences.I'm passionate about big cats and birds and have experience in monitoring wildlife in the astonishing forests of central India.  I'm yet to explore the core of my curiosity andthe directions it leads me into.In addition to being a wildlife enthusiast, my other interests include playing basketball, watching anime, photography, trekking, andpicking up new skills.

Nandita Madhu

BSc. in Chemistry, Environmental science, and Zoology (CEZ), St. Joseph’s University, Bangalore.

My fascination with the natural world became more serious when I started experimenting with a camera. The wetlands, mangroves, and forests of Goa gave me plenty of opportunities to observe birds and soon, observing wildlife became a much loved hobby.

Whatever exposure I received to ecology during my undergraduation, from within and outside college, motivated me further to apply to this course. I have taken preliminary studies on avian diversity in my neighbourhood, interspecific interactions between stingless bees and ants on Passiflora, and the ecological significance of ditch, pond, and canal ecosystems. Acoustics, conservation biology, taxonomy, and biogeography are some topics that interest me. If not wildlifing, you would usually see me listening to music, taking night walks, petting dogs, or taking photographs. I love to read (and sometimes write) experiential accounts in the wilderness.

Prakruti GM

I am from the land famous for its royal heritage, Mysore, Karnataka. I did my Bachelor's in Agriculture at GKVK, Bangalore. Iam neither from Western ghats nor do I have much experience in the field of wildlife, but had a great interest and passion for wildlife since my childhood days. Later did I understand that we just need to keep our ears open, eyes wide and mouth shut and start observing things wherever we are. With few trees and fauna around my home, I grew up. I always would love to stay outdoors. At home, I spend most of my time on the terrace watching birds and observing the tiny insects around my potted plants. During my bachelor's , my interest started to incline towards the bees, insects. Got interested in Big cats through watching documentaries. Animated movies, Books of Jim Corbett, Kenneth Anderson, Poornachandra Tejaswi allured me into wildlife field and made my interest firm. Got exposure to a lot of things when I volunteered at Tiger and Lion Safari, Thyavarekoppa, Shimoga. I also participated in Bird surveys and Tiger census.

My other interests include gardening, drawing, birding, watching movies

Rakshith Gowda H N

BSc. Hons in Forestry (College of Forestry, Ponnampet)

I was born and grew up in Hassan, Karnataka .As I was interested in Nature and wildlife conservation, thought taking up Forestry for my graduation would help me getting close to my aspiration. Inspired by my seniors and some of my batchmates who were intersted in wildlife,  I learnt identifying birds and butterflies as a hobby in early part of my undergraduation. Being in the hottest biodiversity hotspot i.e., western ghats(Kodagu) for 4 years has helped me in acquiring more knowledge on nature. My participation in Forest work experience programme, butterfly survey, Tiger census, bird festivals, long treks  etc helped me to gain more knowledge on wildlife. Later I developed interest on snake handling and behavioral studies on butterflies. My hobbies are playing cricket, photography and going for long treks. In future I want to explore across India and different parts of the world

Rishi Basumatary

Coming from the family of Assam Forest Service and region of Chirang – Ripu Elephant Reserve in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in Western Assam, my interest in wildlife and its conservation has always been my first choice since childhood and so I did my graduation in B.Sc. (Zoology) from Science College, Kokrajhar, BTR (Assam) and decided to opt my further studies in Wildlife Science or Wildlife Biology. During my graduation, I did volunteer occasionally with WTI’s Mobile Veterinary Service based at Wildlife Transit Home in Choraikhola, Kokrajhar located in Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Range. While working with WTI, I got more exposure to wild animals like leopard cat, jungle cats, civets, leopards, Asian black bear, vultures, storks, jackals, etc. I used to visit Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary (best known for golden langur), which is just 15 km away from my area and so my special interest in primates specially in Golden Langur (globally endangered and nationally protected species, also the Mascot of Bodoland Territorial Region) arose.

Apart from primates, I also have interest in carnivores and large herbivorous and love to work for them in future. As of my hobbies, I like adventures which include travelling, camping and trekking, wildlife photography, reading books and newspapers and playing games and sports. I used to visit national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, protected areas and forest reserves and interact with locals and talks to them about wildlife and its conservation in their areas. After passing out from Wildlife Institute of India, I wish to work in conservation and management of wildlife all over India specially in Bodoland Territorial Region in Western Assam and other states of Northeast India.

Sanjana Vadakke Kuruppath

Growing up in Chennai, my first-hand exposure to nature was limited. Though a lot of my learning came from BBC documentaries and the writing of authors like Gerald Durrell, it was enough to fire my interest from a young age - I could imagine no better achievement than to be knowledgeable about the plants and animals around you, and to work with them day in and day out. My Bachelor's degree was at Azim Premji University, a B.Sc B.Ed in Life Sciences.

While learning about education provided me with social context specific to India, it was always courses about ecology and animal behaviour that had my full attention. Over the course of lockdown due to the pandemic, I explored the intersection of society and the nautral world, working with Dr. Krishnapriya Tamma to review literature across the Central and Eastern Himalayas regarding how communities perceive climate change and whether those perceptions match instrument-based data. I'm interested in practically all aspects of ecology, but if I had to choose a group to work on, it would be wild canids, their sociality and behaviour. I'd like to work in applied conservation research, mitigating human-wildlife conflict from both sides of the equation. I'm excited to gain the field experience I haven't had access to until now, and to learn the theoretical frameworks that will allow me to work in this incredibly diverse field. I'm a writing enthusiast, and am keenly interested in the intersection of language and culture; science communication is therefore another field I'd like to explore. Most of my free time is either spent reading or going on beach walks with my dog.

Shashank Nagarale

B.Sc. Life Sciences (Shri Shivaji Science College, Amravati University)

I've been affectionate about nature since my childhood. I used to visit lakes and dry deciduous forest areas around the city, observing birds and animals. Furthermore, I started to photograph wild species and learned about their dwindling populations. As I joined for my bachelor's, my professors acquainted me with research-oriented conservation.

Wetland birds fascinated me, so I carried out a small project on summer breeding birds at a lake in Amravati. The result of the project showed the impact of climate change on smaller habitats. Later, I volunteered in a field survey focused on studying the Human-Leopard conflict in a nearby reserve forest. I enjoyed tracking the pug marks and was overwhelmed by how Leopards have adapted to live in human-dominated habitats. From the survey, I got to know the use of GPS and other digital equipment, which facilitated the study. While exploring the surrounding area, on an outing, I saw an Indian Grey Wolf. I was attracted by its elusiveness. In the coming time, we found its pups, which were later disturbed by humans. So, I strongly desire to know more about the species. Moreover, I like to photograph wildlife moments, listen to songs, and at times I also enjoy sketching.

Shilpa Bevoor

B.Sc. (Hons) in Forestry (college of forestry, UAS Dharwad)

I am born and bought up in Hubli, Karnataka. Since my childhood I loved plants and animals. I grew up with a deep love towards nature and wildlife. Watching documentaries in discovery and national geographic was a great addiction in my young age. With the great interest in wildlife, I joined forestry degree where I got chance to get exposure to different landscapes, forest ecosystem and its biodiversity. Eventually, I started doing birding. And soon I found it interesting and went on some bird expedition and started bird photography. During my graduation I volunteered with KFD as a to educate children about nature, youth for seva NGO and in a few private organizations. I was also volunteered in tiger census participated in bird marathons.

I love riding bicycle and skating in the forest roads and that cool breeze hitting my face was blissful. And I would like to spend much of my time woods.

Tiewlyngksiar Lyngdoh Nongrang

B.Sc. in Forestry from Agriculture and Allied Science – Doon Business School, Dehradun

I hail from the North-Eastern state ofMeghalaya meaning the "abode of clouds." Being surrounded by gorgeous, lush greenery around my vicinity, since childhood, I have always had a connection towards nature.After completing high school, I moved to Dehradun, Uttarakhandto pursue a degree in Forestry.While working on my dissertationon the Flora of Western Himalayas, Mussoorie,I gained extensive knowledge about the floraandstarted collecting them.

Moreover, I practised my bird identification skills anddeveloped a necessary skill to buildherbariums, while working as an intern at the Botanical Survey of India, Shillong. With the help of the staff of Kathkuni Edu Tourism and HESCO (Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, I learnt Apiculture and to create furniture out of an invasive specie (Lantana camara).It is after my forestry work experience that Ihave improved my abilities, broadened my knowledgeand found a passion for plant taxonomy. My ultimate objective is to use this enthusiasm to advance my abilities for the conservation of biodiversity in order to safeguard natural ecosystems,in the end,to become a wildlife educator. In my spare time, I enjoy painting, plant pressing and singing.