Saturday, December 17, 2011

Love for wildlife runs in the family

BANGALORE- BASED Ullas Karanth, son of the legendry Kannada writer Shivarama Karanth ( Jnanapith awardee) is a world- renowned conservation zoologist and tiger expert. His daughter, Krithi K Karanth, a conservation biologist, has achieved a rare distinction.
She is the recipient of the 10,000th grant of the National Geographic Society, a prestigious honour.
The grant will enable Krithi ( 32) to assess human- wildlife conflicts in five parks of India’s Western Ghats. The project will identify and map risks and consequences for local people and the implications for conflict- prone wildlife species such as elephants, leopards and tigers.
India’s rich wildlife continues to be threatened by habitat destruction, prey depletion, poaching and global wildlife trade. Krithi is concerned about the dramatic decline of species. Karnataka is among the top states witnessing a sudden increase in animal- human conflicts.
Unfortunately, the government has remained oblivious to this fact and and refuses to take action. Besides, it is not willing to consult experts like Karanth, who has received international recognition while wildlife continues to suffer.
Aravind Gowda / Mail Today

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