wildlife

In the twisting rivers and hidden pools of Odisha’s Similipal National Park, mugger crocodiles are reclaiming their home. After years of decline, breeding programmes and habitat protection are slowly helping these ancient reptiles glide back into the wild.

From watching ants as a child to becoming India’s ‘Snakeman’, Romulus Whitaker’s life has been shaped by a deep curiosity for the wild. In this conversation, the Padma Shri awardee reflects on building iconic conservation institutions, protecting snakes, and saving lives through antivenom work with indigenous communities.

Conservationist Krithi Karanth has spent three decades addressing India’s human–wildlife conflict. Her work through initiatives like Wild Seve and Wild Shaale has won global recognition with the McNulty Prize.

After witnessing wildlife struggle for water at Tal Chappar, a Rajasthan photographer helped build 130 ponds, creating safe drinking spaces for blackbucks, birds, and desert animals.

Inside the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, a busy Bhopal–Jabalpur National Highway once put wildlife at risk. A red road redesign by NHAI is now helping animals cross safely every day.

Think of an elephant corridor as a conduit, a migratory route from one habitat to another. But what happens when roads are built over these routes? This unique project is mapping out elephant corridors to ensure gentle giants can migrate without clashing with communities.

In Bandhavgarh’s fringe villages, where tiger attacks and forest fires are a painful reality, children are emerging as unexpected conservation leaders. Led by conservationist Bhavna Menon through Prakriti Ki Pathshala and the ‘Junior Fire Watchers’, students are counselling families, preventing fires, and spreading awareness door-to-door.

Uttar Pradesh’s sarus crane, once seen as a pest and pushed out by shrinking wetlands, is finding its way back—thanks to farmers who now protect its nests and habitats. Through the Sarus Habitat Securement Project, villages across 10 districts are reviving the bird’s population and restoring crucial wetlands.

This unique conservation programme sees the coming together of the Bishnoi community, forest officials, and wildlife teams to ensure the survival and thriving of the Godawan, the Great Indian Bustard.

From Ranthambore National Park to Panna Tiger Reserve, wildlife can’t exist in silos. Co-existence is crucial. And here are homestays that are ensuring travel does not come at the expense of the wild.