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I grew up in the U.S., halfway around the world from the 50% of me and my heritage that is in India. My grandma has lived in India her entire life, so growing up I traveled to visit her. When I saw her, I called her Aaji. I assumed it was her name, but as I got older and spent more time with her, I realized that 'aaji' means grandmother. It's funny how your perspective can change the meaning of a word, or an object. This is precisely what happened when I traveled to India in 2014. I experienced a transformation...
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...one that changed the meaning of India forever. In the winter of 2014, I set off to central India alone, and went to the areas surrounding Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). Here, my assumptions about endangered species conservation were overturned as I became familiar with the human-dominated landscape and the dynamics of human-wildlife conflict. There's one thing I kept running into: humans. I also...
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... learned about my family's history. My grandfather had been a 'shikaree,' a hunter; and he hunted tigers. Now, my family continues this legacy of helping communities where conflict occurs with innovative solutions that do not involve killing wildlife. My family has shown me the value of caring for both the wildlife and...
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...people of India. These months in India revolutionized my entire view on the future of conservation and what my place in this movement was to be. I thirsted for more knowledge about the society and culture of India, of my heritage, that I barely knew.
Today, I follow in my families footsteps. In April 2015, Wild Tiger was registered as a 501c3 non-profit. Soon after... |
...I went back to TATR. Tigers need the same habitat that people rely on for survival in these impoverished, rural areas. How do we balance the need to address what seem like contradictory social and environmental issues? Answering this question beckoned my return. Maya welcomed me back to the landscape. She's a...
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...resident tigress of TATR. (I'll be adding more stories about Maya momentarily...). Lis (Wild TIger's program director) joined me and we traveled to...
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...Kanha National Park, another protected area within the landscape of Central India where tigers breed and thrive. Increased tiger populations have boosted tourism here, creating new livelihood opportunities. We got to know the people who took advantage of these, the like our park guide above. Still...
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...the way forward is complicated. Experiencing and conducting research in new places gives me insights into diverse conservation programming for endangered mammals in Southeast Asia. Continuing Wild Tiger's annual research expedition...
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...in the summer 2017, I drove through the border of Nepal and India, in the area known as the Terai Arc Landscape. Bardia National Park in Nepal was my first stop. Here, communities are using beehives to prevent elephants and rhinos from destroying crops and homes. Nirajan (pictured here) is...
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apart of the community based anti poaching unit. As he lead us on a trek through the park, we caught a women illegally collecting grass. He was able to negotiate because of the bond community members have with one another. The road trip continued to...
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... Shuklaphanta National Park and, after crossing the border to return to India I encountered a greater-one horned rhino in Dudhwa National Park. Can you believe there is an active train track running through this protected area? Back in the central state of Madhya Pradesh...
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... in a small Wildlife Sanctuary known and Kuno-Palpur, we conducted a census for big cats. Two of our camera traps were stolen in this area, where I also found an illegal machan. Hunters use this as a perch at night, when animals are active. On the bright side...
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... my work with the Forest Department staff gave me an introductory understanding to India's policies and governance of natural resources. Getting up close and personal with tigers has been a highlight of my Wild Tiger experiences thus far. Tiger selfies? (NOT the kind where you pay to pet or take pictures with sedated, captive tigers)... You bet! The natural world has always been my passion, and the moral responsibility I feel to protect it drives me. Equally impactful has been my witness to the way people make a living in...
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...rural India. I immersed myself into their way of life. Empathy allowed the things that made us similar to outweigh what made us different. Only after my research and time spent here have I begun to understand how it feels to live with tigers everyday. My voice, along with Wild Tiger's research and programming, can be used to share this journey. Our mission is to save the tiger while creating a more unified, peaceful world. The above is just a time slice of my journey that continues today along with the entire Wild Tiger team, and possible through public support. Stay up to date on Wild Tiger with monthly emails by signing up for Tiger Times.
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Explore our website to learn about how we are saving the tiger and using the tiger to create cultural unity between the United States and India.
