Burning bright: Dr Ullas Karanth honoured by Florida Uni

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Padma Shri Dr Ullas Karanth, one of the country’s most celebrated wildlife conservationists, has been named the Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Florida in Gainesville, at the 2021 Fall Bachelors / Masters Commencement Ceremony.

Nearly four thousand students received their degrees at the commencement ceremony, which was held at the Stephen O’ Connell Center. Professor Elaine Turner, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, described Dr Karanth in her address as a “pioneer of sciencebased conservation, (who) has been researching the ecology of tigers and other large mammals for the last 32 years. He was born and raised in the Western Ghat region of India, which is a global biodiversity hotspot.”

Karanth began his academic journey as an engineer, but switched streams to study wildlife biology, earning a master’s degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Florida. His work and influence eventually spanned the entire distributional range of tigers. Dr. Karanth has been an active advocate for reconciling the conflicting needs of wildlife conservation and human development. His research has impacted conservation of species, protection of wild lands, contributions to policy, public outreach and advancing science.

His work has received wide global media coverage and significant recognition including the World Wildlife Fund’s J. Paul Getty Award and one of India’s highest national civilian honors, the Padma Shri”.

University of Florida President Kent Fuchs presented the certification plaque saying: “Dr. Karanth, in recognition of your exceptional accomplishments, I am pleased to present to you the University of Florida Distinguished Alumnus Award”.

Dr. Karanth was a student at the University of Florida in the mid-1980s, researching tiger ecology in Nagarahole under the supervision of Melvin Sunquist. That decade saw the rise of the University of Florida’s program in wildlife conservation as a centre for global excellence, with its graduates eventually occupying eminent positions in academia, conservation NGOs and national and international agencies all over the world. While he was a student, Dr. Karanth was recruited as a staff scientist by Dr. George Schaller with a mandate to establish the WCS conservation program in India, which he led with distinction for the next 30 years. Dr. Karanth is currently Emeritus Director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies.