Into the Wild - Updates from August
Centre for Wildlife Studies
Wildlife Research | Science-based Conservation | Policy | Education
We hope you had a delightful August. We celebrated both World Elephant Day and India's 77th Independence Day, fueled by unyielding passion towards Rewilding India! Explore this edition of Into the Wild featuring key highlights and inspiring stories from our scientists, conservationists and educators.?
Congratulations to the Winners of our 2023 Wild Incubator Program
We are thrilled to unveil the winners of our 2023 Wild Incubator Program in partnership with Pernod Ricard India Foundation! Together, we will be facilitating these projects that are seeking to make a measurable impact in promoting biodiversity conservation, combating illegal hunting and wildlifetrade, and restoring and rewilding habitats for generations to come.
CWS Scientists at the 2023?International Congress for Conservation Biology, Rwanda
Our Doctoral Fellows, Shweta Shivakumar and Yashendu Joshi?presented their ongoing work at the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) held in Kigali, Rwanda from?23rd to?the 27th of July.
Shweta Shivakumar presented a talk?about "Examining Unprovoked Attacks: Spatiotemporal clustering of leopard attacks on humans in Western Himalayas, India".
Yashendu Joshi presented a talk about "The Crocodile Conundrum of Charotar: Peaceful Coexistence and Deep Socioecological Connections between Human and Marsh Crocodile Crocodylus palustris Communities in Central Gujarat, India".
Welcoming Our Newest Postdoctoral Fellow!
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Sruthi Unnikrishnan to team CWS! She joins us as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Unnikrishnan is a behavioral ecologist who is deeply interested in getting deeper into conservation and understanding patterns as a data analyst and scientist. She holds a PhD in Animal Behavior from IISc, Bangalore and comes with extensive experience in teaching and research.
On the 17th of August, our Wild Shaale Senior Program Manager, Nitya Satheesh and Program Manager, Sahil Pimpale were in?conversation with Saba Ahmad from Dream a Dream about?'Education & Young People'. They delved into how Wild Shaale nurtures curiosity and builds empathy in children living near wildlife, the learnings from their journey in the field of environmental education, and so much more!
August marks a significant milestone as we celebrate 5 years of our award-winning conservation education program, Wild Shaale. Since its launch in 2018, we have reached more than 30,000 children in over 700 schools near 19 wildlife parks across the Western Ghats.Our journey does not end here. Consider donating today as we expand our program to 300 more schools in 2023-24! Your contribution will be a vital step towards our goal of inspiring children in championing wildlife and wildplaces.
Mr. Sumit Arora at the?Interspecies Conclave, Atria University
Our Associate Director, Technology And Partnerships, Mr. Sumit Arora was a panelist for 'GreenTech: Navigating the Future of Conservation' held at Atria University's Interspecies Conclave. The panel engaged in enlightening discussions, emphasizing the crucial role of technology in preserving our planet's biodiversity.They discussed how technology fuels innovation, breaking barriers and reducing costs, while strong policy guardrails address challenges like data privacy and green technology implementation.?
Media Coverage
In an interview with The Hindu, our Emeritus Director, Dr. K. Ullas Karanth discusses how India can accommodate a lot more tigers. He also addresses the need to employ approaches that focus on other flagship species while protecting extensive habitats.?He underscores the absence of immersive nature education while addressing the complexities of human-wildlife conflict involving society and highly threatened species and the need for a comprehensive approach.
Vinni Jain, our Research Fellow was interviewed by the Think WildlifeFoundation for a podcast series on her research on otters of Balaghat District in Madhya Pradesh. In her podcast, she talks about the challenges of fieldwork, results from her research and the conservation of otters in India.?The Think Wildlife Foundation is an organization run completely by university students working to promote biodiversity and wildlifeconservation.?
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Stories From The Field
"One of our first learnings of the interesting dynamic between man and elephant happened during our reconnaissance survey in Palakkad, Kerala. As we looked over the vast expanse of land, with winding roads and multiple houses tucked away, we couldn’t help but notice the proximity this had to the lush forest and mountains.
?While exploring the area, we met a man who graciously invited us to his farm. He took us through his fields and showed us his maize plants. Over hot tea and sweetcorn, we sat and spoke with him. He told us about the elephants he had seen, having lived on the land for longer than a decade. He explained that he felt deeply connected to the animal, and by seeing elephants in the wild, felt that they were a majestic sight to behold. The farmer then took us to a railway track not far from his house. Here, he explained that elephants would often lose their lives, or be injured due to oncoming trains and collisions. He expressed his fondness for the animal and sadness when hearing about their pain.?
This conversation truly made us reflect on the experiences that have shaped the lives of people living near wildlife. This bond that we learned about captured so many aspects, both explicit and implicit when it comes to the interface between people and animals. As we said our goodbyes and drove back to our field station, we were struck by the generosity and kindness that this experience had shown us."
– Simran Prasad, Doctoral Fellow
"Recently, our Wild Shaale team delivered sessions at Vandarabettu GHPS, located in close proximity to Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary.
Whilst interacting with the students and teachers, our Educators discovered that the school experiences frequent leopard appearances, often involving interactions with local livestock such as cows and dogs.
During one of our sessions, a question was posed to the children. Why do elephants, tigers, and leopards venture into their village? They astutely highlighted that these visits were primarily due to a scarcity of food within the forest. The response was heartwarming as it displayed an understanding of the complex interplay between wildlife and their habitats."
– Mahesh Kumar, Project Coordinator, WildShaale
Camera trapped images of male Asian elephants' and their unique body characteristics are helping researchers estimate their population size and demographics! This innovative approach not only provides crucial insights into the elusive species but also holds the potential to shape effective conservation efforts.
Human-induced disturbances in their landscapes have been a massive threat to elephants, occasionally at the extreme of threatening their survival. Therefore, it is vital to enhance our understanding of the behavioral decisions made by individual elephants in the landscape to mitigate conflict.
Humans have been captivated by elephants for centuries, drawn to their majestic presence and intriguing behaviours. They fascinate us with their intelligence, empathy, and intricate social dynamics.
Elephants have been part of several cultures all over the globe. Has the cultural reverence for elephants shaped how people view these gentle giants today?
We celebrated World Elephant Day on the 12th of August with an exciting discussion with Dr. Shermin De Silva and Dr. Graeme Shannon. They spoke about their work in understanding and conserving elephant populations.
We hope you enjoyed reading this latest edition of Into the Wild and are inspired to continue supporting our mission to conserve India’s wildlife and wildlands. Wishing you a splendid September!
Warm regards,
Media and Outreach Team
Centre for Wildlife Studies
Vimaan!
1 年Hope we have better elephant corridors!!!!