Wildlife was a passion that developed early. At the age of eight, it was my dream to become a marine biologist studying sharks. During my childhood, I had the privilege to travel around the world and extensively within India. School holidays were spent in the Himalayas or other destinations in Asia and Europe. Jim Corbett, Rudyard Kipling and regular trips to the jungle made me develop an interest in wildlife and it turned into a real passion. When I was 12, my parents took me to the Kabini River Lodge for my birthday and it was there that the magic began- I saw my first wild tiger. At first we could only see its ear, I'm still impressed by the naturalist who spotted it, and then this beautiful tigress got up and walked around the jeep and then went on her way. 

I studied Biodiversity Conservation and Management at the University of Kent in the UK. After working for over a decade as a wildlife biologist in India, Peru, Yemen and Switzerland with short-term projects in other countries, I found that interpreting scientific results in a captivating way for the general public was more rewarding. In the last few years, I have been using wildlife photography and photojournalism as my main channel to inform people about conservation and endangered species, inspire them to get involved and activate them and their peers to support conservation efforts. 

 

Portrait by Patrick Meier.