K. Ullas Karanth

Originally trained as an engineer, K. Ullas Karanth subsequently pursued his passion for wildlife by studying tiger ecology in India, obtaining his Masters Degree from the University of Florida (1988) and PhD from Mangalore University (1993). He has worked extensively on tiger and prey ecology, published over 120 scientific papers and several books including The Way of the Tiger, A View from the Machan and The Science of Saving Tigers. Karanth has also been active in implementing Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) conservation projects on ground in India, actively partnering with both local conservationists and Government agencies in influencing conservation policy and implementation. Karanth pioneered camera trap surveys of big cats, transect surveys of elephants and ungulates, as well as application of modern analytical methods for studying Asia’s wildlife. His pragmatic focus is on resolving conflicts between wildlife and humans through innovative conservation solutions. Karanth has been elected a Fellow of the Indian Academy Sciences (2008), and serves on the boards of India’s National Tiger Authority and the Wildlife Institute. He is an adjunct Professor at the Universities of Florida and Minnesota as well as at the National Centre for Biological Sciences-TIFR, India. His contributions to conservation science have been widely recognized, and, include the EarthCare Award (2006), J.Paul Getty Award (2007), Salim Ali Award (2009) and Indian Government’s high civilian honor Padmashri (2012).