Dear First name / friend,

 

Through the month of November, our teams found themselves participating in global forums, strengthening partnerships across India, and engaging communities through events rooted in music, education, and collective action. From international conversations on leadership and conflict, to regional conclaves shaping the future of government schools, to workshops and symposiums that deepened scientific knowledge, this month reminded us of how diverse voices and disciplines come together to advance our mission.

 

In this edition of Into the Wild, we bring you stories of fieldwork, learning, and leadership, from CWS scientists presenting cutting-edge research, to long-time supporters raising their voices for wildlife, to our educators inspiring the next generation of conservationists.

What does it take to lead in an era marked by global uncertainty and conflict? On November 5th in New York, our CEO, Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, joined fellow 2025 John P. McNulty Prize Winners Layla Zaidane and Mohamed Ali Diini for Braving the Divide: Leadership for a World in Conflict, a conversation moderated by Zinhle Essamuah of NBC News Daily. Together, they reflected on how living between worlds, wild and urban, across cultures, and through displacement, shapes courage, clarity, and new models of change.

 

During the discussion, Dr. Karanth highlighted how CWS is reimagining conservation by partnering with communities who live closest to wildlife, empowering them to navigate risk, loss, and opportunity while safeguarding India’s biodiversity.

We are excited to share our latest publication, titled ‘At a Crossroads: Impacts of a Major Highway on Mammal Occurrence in a Biodiverse Tropical Forest’ published in Biotropica on 26th November 2025. This study examines how a major highway cutting through the Nagarjunasagar–Srisailam Tiger Reserve alters the behavior, habitat use, and movement of mammals, revealing striking differences in how herbivores and carnivores respond to roads and vehicular traffic.

The study was led by Dr. Vikram Aditya (Centre for Wildlife Studies), along with co-authors, Yogesh Pasul (Centre for Wildlife Studies) and Dr. Deyatima Ghosh (Jain University). To read the full paper, click here.

A new Frontline Conversations interview features Dr. K. Ullas Karanth, Emeritus Director, CWS. In this conversation, he examines the recent surge in human–tiger conflict around Bandipur National Park, drawing on decades of field research across the Western Ghats. Dr. Karanth discusses why tiger densities may have exceeded ecological limits, how habitat manipulation and flawed census methods distort our understanding of tiger populations, and why independent ecological auditing is essential for long-term conservation. To watch the full interview, click here.

Dr. K. Ullas Karanth, Emeritus Director of CWS, was quoted in an article published in Herald Goa on 20th October 2025. The article highlights discrepancies in the Goa government’s claims to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) about the number of people who would be displaced if a Tiger Reserve were declared. Dr. Karanth emphasizes that Goa’s protected areas play a vital role in sustaining and connecting the tiger meta-population across the Western Ghats, one of the largest such populations in the world. To read the full article, click here.

This month, our CEO Dr. Krithi K. Karanth joined an extraordinary global collaboration, one that is quite literally reaching beyond Earth. Dr. Karanth was invited to Paris to contribute to the LIFE Disc, an ambitious UNESCO–NASA–supported project that will send a curated record of the “best of humanity” to the Moon.

 

What began as an email that sparked disbelief quickly evolved into one of her most energising collaborative experiences. Over two days, she worked alongside a diverse group of scientists and artists, including a paleontologist, botanist, anthropologist, ethologist, astrophysicist, and visual artists, to imagine how science, culture, and creativity might be represented for future generations beyond our planet. The workshop blended rigorous debate, bold imagination, and cross-disciplinary insight, showcasing how art and science can meet in powerful, unexpected ways.

The Centre for Wildlife Studies formally joined the Shikshagraha movement at Shiksha Samvaad on November 28th 2025 at the Bangalore International Centre. The convening brought together educators, conservationists, and system leaders to advance environmental consciousness as a core dimension of education quality. The event marked the release of the Educator Guidebook (Vol. I) and the Education Toolkit, offering teachers practical frameworks to integrate nature-based learning within Karnataka’s curriculum. Speaking at the event, leaders highlighted how strengthening children’s relationship with forests, wildlife and local ecosystems is essential for climate readiness, community well-being, and future-ready citizenship. By joining the movement, CWS committed to contributing its decades of conservation science, community engagement, and environmental education expertise. 

Shal Sabeel, Neha Bhandare and Anaswara Pradeep from CWS participated in the NIRMAN Workshop – Batch 16, held at SEARCH, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, from 1–6 November 2025. The week-long programme offered an opportunity for deep reflection, skill-building and personal growth, equipping participants with tools for purposeful action, financial awareness, decision-making and emotional wellbeing.

The workshop’s blend of group dialogues, immersive activities and guided introspection helped the team gain new perspectives they hope to apply in their fieldwork and community engagement efforts.

On 3 November 2025, Mohamed Saheem (Senior Project Coordinator, Wild Shaale) and Prakash G. (Educator, Wild Shaale) represented CWS at the Namma School Namma Ooru Palli (NSNOP) Regional Conclave in Salem, Tamil Nadu. The event brought together government officials, industry leaders, educators, donors, and NGOs to exchange insights and build collaborations aimed at strengthening infrastructure and improving the quality of education in government schools across the state.

The Eastern Ghats Symposium 2025 was held from 24–26 November at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati, bringing together researchers, conservation practitioners, forest managers and policymakers who have worked across the Eastern Ghats landscape for more than two decades. The symposium served as a platform to consolidate existing knowledge and spark new collaborations for the long-term conservation of this biodiverse and rapidly changing region.

 

The CWS team, Dr. Vikram Aditya, Imran Siddiqui, Yogesh Pasul and Ayushi Bandhyopadhyay, presented insights from ongoing work across the landscape. Their sessions highlighted human–wildlife conflict dynamics in the Nagarjunasagar–Srisailam Tiger Reserve, hunting practices in the Northern Eastern Ghats, and the impacts of forest degradation on elephant occurrence in Rayagada district, Odisha.

On 15th November 2025, three of our Doctoral Fellows attended the FIND Festival ‘25 organised by Ekya Schools in Bengaluru to talk about their work through an interactive workshop for their teachers and students. Sikha Hariharan spoke about the movement ecology lion-tailed macaques of Kerala; Chandan Pandey walked the participants through exercises that showcased the many challenges and nifty tools that ecologists use to count animals in the wild; and Ishika Ramakrishna introduced the participants to human-wildlife interactions through shared stories about experiences with monkeys and the case study of gibbons in Assam.

Earlier this month, Arjun Menon, doctoral fellow at CWS, co-organised a workshop on Small Mammal Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation at the research collections facility at NCBS. The session, held in collaboration with Dr. Rohit Chakravarty, Dr. Pritha Dey, and Darshan S., brought together 21 participants ranging from undergraduate students to post-doctoral researchers.

 

Arjun led sessions on rodent ecology and conservation, career pathways in mammalogy, and conducted a live demonstration on safe trapping and handling techniques for small mammals. The workshop offered hands-on learning and meaningful engagement for early-career researchers interested in mammal science and conservation. To know more about our doctoral program, click here.

Long-time CWS supporter Nina Rao hosted a special fundraiser concert in Bengaluru on November 6th as part of her Sacred Music for Sacred Forests India tour. The evening brought together a warm community for kirtan, music, and prayer with Nina Rao and percussionist Arjun Bruggeman. All proceeds from the event were directed to the Centre for Wildlife Studies, supporting our ongoing work to protect wildlife and habitats across India. We are grateful to Nina and the extended community of supporters who made this heartfelt evening possible.

"It had been nearly five years since my last long stint of fieldwork. As the jeep shuddered up the rough metalled road toward the forest office, old doubts surfaced uninvited: Would I still manage these climbs? Would my eyes catch the shy flicker of animals? Would my body remember what it once did with ease? These questions shadow many biologists, especially women in fields long shaped by men, yet rarely make it into our stories. Outwardly we project certainty; inwardly we guard our vulnerabilities.

 

But my doubts have always kept me careful, nudging me to prepare more and notice better. So I let them hum quietly as the forest watcher set off with steady steps and I followed, a little unsure. At the start of the transect, just as I bent over my GPS, the raucous calls of the Malabar grey hornbill spilled through the canopy, smallest, chattiest, and one of my study species. That familiar voice loosened something in me: You know this. You belong here.

 

We walked on through straight stretches, tight bends, dips and climbs, paths shaped more by animals than people. The watcher moved with an ease that felt like instinct, guided by an internal map. My own long-rested muscles made their presence felt, and I rejoiced: They’re still there. A sudden scolding call came from an Indian giant squirrel, another of my study species. The forest floor told more stories: old elephant dung scattered like punctuation. Elephants may not be classic frugivores, but their role in dispersing large seeds is unmatched.

 

Filtered light carried us under a low deciduous canopy until the trees abruptly opened into a power line corridor, a stark reminder of how easily connectivity breaks for arboreal frugivores hesitant to descend to the ground. Soon after, a crackle in the vegetation made us exchange a look and whisper, “anai” (elephant). The word rose instinctively, a sound I hadn’t used in years yet recognised instantly. It felt like a quiet homecoming.

 

Near the end of the survey, a deep alarm call of a gaur rang out. I asked if we could look, and the watcher headed toward the sound without hesitation. Minutes later, we saw two massive males, horns locked, pushing and gliding in powerful arcs among the saplings before melting back into the green.

 

The trail released us into a tiny village, half a dozen homes, small rubber plots, vegetable gardens close to the walls. I wondered how much the families actually get to eat, living so close to wildlife. Just then, our jeep arrived. A woman who had hitched a ride stepped down, carrying a small bag of vegetables from the local market.

Perhaps that said everything."

 

-Dr. Swapna Nelaballi, Principal Scientist and Faculty

During a Wild Surakshe workshop held on 21 August 2025 for the Satara district’s Animal Husbandry Department, a powerful moment of reflection emerged. While discussing hunting and wildlife trade, a Livestock Development Officer, expressed genuine surprise at the scale of illegal wildlife exploitation occurring across India and globally. Speaking with facilitator Neha Bhandare, he noted how rarely this issue is discussed in professional or public settings, despite its far-reaching consequences.

 

As the session unfolded, the officer learned that hunting and wildlife trade constitute the fourth largest illegal activity in the world, an insight that left a strong impression. He observed that many people remain unaware of the Wildlife Protection Act and what legally qualifies as ‘hunting’. The revelation that monitor lizards are targeted for Hatha Jodi products was entirely new to him. Throughout the session, he took detailed notes, underscoring the importance of such awareness-building efforts. To know more about Wild Surakshe, click here.

Conserving wide-ranging carnivores like tigers calls for monitoring methods that can track their presence across vast, fragmented landscapes. How do we detect such elusive animals, and how do we ensure that the data we collect is both accurate and meaningful for conservation? Our latest blog, based on a seminal study from the Western Ghats of Karnataka by researchers at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, demonstrates how field monitoring methods informed by tiger biology can strengthen conservation planning. To read the blog, click here.

India's reported tiger population growth is impressive, but does the science fully back it up? This study reveals key challenges in how tiger numbers are estimated and calls for smarter, science-driven conservation monitoring.
To know more about the methods that are crucial for counting tigers to aid in better conservation of the species, read the blog article here.

As November draws to a close, we look back with gratitude at the connections strengthened and the knowledge shared. From global conversations to grassroots engagement, each effort reflects our commitment to protect India’s wildlife and support the people who live alongside it. Thank you for standing with us. Together, we will continue transforming learning into stewardship, collaboration into impact, and hope into a wilder, more connected future.