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Malini Pittet
Photojournalism I Conservation I Travel Consulting
Welcome to MaliniPittet.com
I was born and brought up in Bangalore, South India where from an early age, I developed a great passion for wildlife and nature. When I was 12 years old, I saw my first tiger and that was where it all began- wildlife biology was my chosen career path. Having completed a BSc and an MRes in Biodiversity conservation and management at the Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, my career has so far taken me around the world, mostly in search of wild living felids.
My Story
The Peruvian Amazon rainforest was the first stop on my wildlife conservation world tour, where my research looked at spatial distribution and competition between jaguars, pumas and ocelots when the study area was seasonally flooded and only "restingas" or small islands were left. From there, I had to decided whether to do a PhD and continue in academia or choose a different path. During this time, the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian leopard in Yemen needed a research to set up a survey for their flagship species in the Hawf Protected Area and I was happy to oblige. This opened the door for me to joined the IUCN Cat Specialist group in Bern, Switzerland where I worked on various projects including the reintroduction of Persian leopards in Azerbaijan, Regional assessment of leopards, Recovery of Wolf and Eurasian Lynx in the Alps, as well as several species-specific studies in various capacities. Following a brief stint at the IUCN headquarters in Gland at the Marine and Polar programme, I began freelancing as a researcher and wildlife photographer. Today, my time is spent travelling the world, pushing my personal boundaries and creating visual stories as well as bridging the gap between the scientific world and the greater community. I will soon be moving to south Africa, where I will have the opportunity to focus more on topics close to my heart.