Dear First name / friend,

 

As we share our final newsletter of 2025, we find ourselves reflecting on a year that has been both exciting and deeply meaningful for all of us at CWS. This year was shaped by important milestones and steady progress across our programmes, from strengthening leadership within our teams, to expanding the reach and impact of our science, and deepening our engagement with communities across landscapes. 

 

In this edition of Into the Wild, we bring you stories of fieldwork, learning, and leadership, and as we wrap up the year, this edition captures the people, ideas, and milestones that defined the last month of this year for us.

As the year comes to a close, we are reminded that what truly carries conservation forward is people - those who show up with care, trust, and a shared belief in a wilder future. This New Year, we invite you to be part of that community. Support to our Annual Fund allows us to invest in our teams, stand with communities living alongside wildlife, and continue responding with empathy and science where it matters most.

 

With just today left, every year-end gift made before 1st January 2026 will be matched 2X, doubling its impact for people and wildlife. As we step into the year ahead, your support helps ensure this work continues grounded, hopeful, and deeply human.

We are excited to share our latest study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science on 4th December 2025 titled “Scaling environmental education across diverse socio-ecological contexts: Insights from the Wild Shaale program in India.” Authored by Dr. Krithi K. Karanth (Centre for Wildlife Studies; Duke University), Dr. Sruthi Unnikrishnan (Centre for Wildlife Studies), and Dr. Gabby Salazar (University of Florida), the paper explores how our Wild Shaale program is driving impactful, scalable environmental education across three states in the Western Ghats. To read the paper, click here.

 

"In an era of video calls, live location sharing, and uninterrupted 5G connections, my field team and I spent the better part of a month with no communication with the outside world. We crashed overnight at a police station, ate food with constables and willingly stayed stranded on a remote island. Sounds unreal, right? As a wildlife biologist, disconnection is not an inconvenience, it is often the norm, where bird songs replace notifications.

 

The pros of working in remote areas is the opportunity to be amidst the world’s most intact ecosystems. They often act as refugia for range-restricted species that can’t withstand intense human activity. Just reaching these areas can sometimes take days; one has to carry provisions, equipment, and battery backup. The prolonged isolation carries an emotional weight that is rarely acknowledged even by the community of field biologists. 

 

Just to give you all an idea, the quickest way to communicate from one of my field sites on the island of Little Nicobar was to pass on a short message to the radio operator at the local police station. They would switch on the radio set at 1800 hrs every day. Then that message would be received by the radio operator at the Campbell Bay police station, to be passed on to the station house officer who would inform the Deputy Superintendent. Finally, the Superintendent would send a text message to my family members, and their reply would take another 24 hours to get back to me. Thankfully, this particular fail-safe mechanism never had to be activated as no emergencies took place in the field or at home during our sojourn.

 

Today, to witness a landscape untouched by roads is difficult, even in the remotest parts of the world. In 2008, my friend, Umesh Srinivasan, and I walked seven days to reach a habitat to conduct bird surveys. Now one can reach the same location in just one and half days. But, we were able to spot the Lisu Wren Babbler, and 62 additional species new to Namdapha Tiger Reserve at that time. Results like these are why many biologists chose this path in the first place.

 

However, this lifestyle is not sustainable without the support of institutions, collaborators and most importantly, family members who accept the realities of expeditions to remote areas. Clear communication, and recognizing the need to discuss mental health and well-being in field-based research is important for these endeavors to continue. Perhaps fieldwork in these remote areas can help people find connection among field teams, local communities and wild spaces."

 

-Shashank Dalvi, Doctoral Fellow

On 1st December 2025, a routine day in Gundaturu village was disrupted when a tiger entered farmland bordering the Antharasanthe Forest and killed one of Srinivas’ cows. The animal had been grazing near the fields, as it often did, when it became an easier target than prey within the forest. The loss of the cow marked a significant setback for Srinivas’ family, who depend on both agriculture and livestock for their livelihood.

 

Following the incident, Wild Seve Field Assistant Somesh G. M. reached the site to document evidence and support the family through the process. A veterinary post-mortem confirmed the cause of death, and the team coordinated closely with Forest Department officials to help complete the necessary formalities. This timely support ensured that Srinivas and his family could navigate the compensation process without added burden during an already difficult time. To know more about Wild Seve, click here.

Exciting news from the Western Ghats! Our Wild Shaale program is empowering students with environmental knowledge and safety skills, fostering a new generation of wildlife ambassadors. Together, we're building empathy and coexistence between people and wildlife. Let's shape a harmonious future for our ecosystems. To read the blog, click here.

Not all wildlife responds to roads the same way. Our study on a major highway running through a protected tropical forest found that plant-eating mammals were more commonly detected near the highway, while meat-eating mammals showed a stronger preference for undisturbed forest areas. Read more on our blog about how highways influence mammal movement and why careful planning matters for conservation. To read the blog, click here.

As this year comes to a close, we carry forward the lessons, relationships, and moments that have shaped our work across landscapes and communities. Each story in this edition reflects the collective effort behind conservation, quiet persistence, shared learning, and long-term commitment. We look ahead to the coming year with optimism and resolve, and thank you for continuing to stand with us in this work.