K. Ullas Karanth

Who is K. Ullas Karanth?

K. Ullas Karanth, Ph. D., is a conservation zoologist and a leading tiger expert based in Karnataka, India. He is the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society - India Program. He is notable for pioneering the scientific use of camera traps in population density studies of large wild mammals in India. He is a Senior Conservation Scientist with the New York based Wildlife Conservation Society and Technical Director of the WCS Tiger Conservation Program.

Dr. Karanth directs the WCS-I effort to help save Bengal tigers, and has conducted country-wide surveys to better estimate their population and habitat needs. Working mainly in the Nagarhole National Park, Dr. Karanth's work has demonstrated the importance of conserving prey populations in order to ensure the survival of keystone predator species such as the tiger.

In January, 2012, Dr. Karanth was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his outstanding contributions to Wildlife Conservation and Environment Protection.