The Think Wildlife Podcast

The Asiatic Lion is probably India’s finest conservation miracles. With less than 100 individuals remaining in the wild in the 1960s, the population has skyrocketed with an estimated 600-800 lions roaming the forests of Saurashtra. In 2018, over 50 lions were lost due to an outbreak of the canine distemper disease. Moreover, the range of the Gir lion has spread well beyond the forests of Gir National Park, with prides often found wandering urban landscapes in Saurashtra. This poses a risk of human-lion conflict, which till now has been relatively limited.In Episode 6 of The Think Wildlife Podcast, I am joined by India’s leading lion biologist, Dr. Venkataraman, the founder of Carnivore Conservation and Research. She has over 20 years of experience as a wildlife biologists and studied the behavioural ecology of the Asiatic Lion. We talk about her intriguing work on lion ecology and conservation. We also talk about the state of lion translocation efforts in India and the potential impact of the cheetah reintroduction. Tune in to learn about this magnificent cat and their remarkable story in India!Meet the HostAnish Banerjee: https://x.com/anishwildlifeThink Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/Meet the GuestsDr. Meena Venkatraman: https://corecarnivore.wordpress.com/about/ Recommended Wildlife Conservation BooksWildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9ZhIndian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCLAt the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsN Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 5 of The Think Wildlife Podcast, I am joined by Mayank Shukla, Anshita Das and Arjun Srivathsa from The Dhole Project. Launched in 2016, The Dhole Project aims to conduct research on Asiatic wild dogs or ‘dholes’ to better understand their ecological requirements and protect their populations in India.The dhole is one of India’s most charismatic predators, with their range spreading across southern, central India. Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the dhole faces numerous threats, including rampant habitat fragmentation, free ranging dogs and inbreeding. In this episode we cover the ecology and conservation of dhole in India, particularly in the agroforestry landscape of Valparai. We also talk about The Dhole Project’s research on dhole genetics and human-wild canid interactions! The Dhole Project is currently running a campaign to raise INR 200,000 (2 lakhs) to fund the next stage of their fieldwork. Additionally, 30% of the revenue from optional subscriptions to The Think Wildlife Podcast in this episode will be donated to the project.Meet the HostAnish Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anish-banerjee-79ba63189/Think Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/Meet the GuestsArjun Srivathsa: http://www.arjunsrivathsa.com/Arjun is a DST INSPIRE Fellow at the National Centre for Biological Sciences–TIFR, Bengaluru and Affiliate Scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society–India.Anshita Das: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anshita-das/Anshita is affiliated with The Dhole Project at Wildlife Conservation Society–India. Her current research is centred on two key areas: social media perceptions of dholes, and the role of human food subsidies on dhole packs in human-dominated areas.Mayank ShuklaMayank is associated with The Dhole Project at NCBS–TIFR. His work involves examining dhole population dynamics and dhole–human interactions in Kerala.Recommended Wildlife Conservation BooksWildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9ZhIndian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCLAt the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsNCanids of the World by Dr. José R. Castelló: https://amzn.to/3UnWGkl Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

In August 2022,  I had the very good fortune to explore the mountains of Dras, Kargil in search of one of India’s rarest terrestrial mammals - the Himalayan Brown Bear. Listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, there are less than 500 individuals remaining in the wild scattered across Western Himalayas and the Karakoram Mountains. Drass in the Kargil District of Ladakh and the neighbouring Deosai National Park in Pakistan remain their largest stronghold (tune in to this episode to learn why this region is so attractive for the bears!)The future of the Himalayan Brown Bear lies in the balance with climate change causing significant disruption across the Himalayas. Changing climate patterns is altering the flowering of berries and other plants, reducing the availability of food for these omnivorous bears. This has significant implications for the ecology of brown bear. In fact, studies have found that both, the hibernation patterns of the Himalayan Brown Bear and the Asiatic Black Bear have been altered due to rising temperatures and reduce snowfall. Additionally, the bears have become significantly more reliant on livestock as food, hence exacerbating human-bear conflict. The Himalayan Brown Bears also are threatened by severe habitat loss and degradation. Sadly, both the bears, and their habitat were collateral damage of the 1999 Kargil War. In the present scenario, haphazard development across the Himalayas has also further fragmented their habitats. The added pressure of free ranging dogs is a major threat to the biodiversity of Ladakh.In this episode of The Think Wildlife Podcast, I interview Niaz Hassan Khan, a PhD Scholar at the Wildlife Institute of India. We talk about his work on Himalayan Brown Bears in Kargil and the way forward for their conservation. The Think Wildlife Podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. 30% of revenue from optional paid subscriptions on Substack from this episode will be donated to WWF to support their work on high altitude mammals in Ladakh.Meet the HostAnish Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anish-banerjee-79ba63189/Think Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/Meet the GuestNiaz Khan: Recommended Wildlife Conservation BooksWildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9ZhIndian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCLAt the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsN Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 3 of this season, I am joined by Dr. Sophie Rassmusen, a Research Fellow at University of Oxford and Linacre College Research Associate at WildCRU. Popularly referred to as Dr. Hedgehog, Sophie is at the forefront of hedgehog conservation and research. Unfortunately, scientific research from several European countries indicate that the population of European hedgehogs is in decline all over Europe. In fact, the European Hedgehog was recently downgraded to “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List. It is therefore essential to investigate the causes for the decline and enhance the understanding of the challenges hedgehogs face in the wild in order to improve the conservation initiatives directed at this species. In this episode, we talk about Sophie’s PhD research which encompasses “The Danish Hedgehog Project” with the help of citizen science. We also discuss hedgehog health and the impacts of roads and lawns on hedgehog populations. The Think Wildlife Podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. Please do consider upgrading to an optional paid subscription on Substack. 30% of the revenue from this episode will be donated to WildCRU for the conservation of hedgehogs!Meet the HostAnish Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anish-banerjee-79ba63189/Think Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/Meet the GuestDr. Sophie Lund Rasmussen: https://www.wildcru.org/members/dr-sophie-lund-rasmussen/Recommended Wildlife Conservation BooksWildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9ZhIndian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCLAt the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsN Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe