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Coexistence: An Indian scientist's decades-long effort to bridge the gap between humans and wildlife
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Energy & Infrastructure

Coexistence: An Indian scientist's decades-long effort to bridge the gap between humans and wildlife

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Indian scientist Krithi K. Karanth has dedicated nearly thirty years to studying and preserving the coexistence of humans and large mammals.
  • Despite significant human-wildlife conflicts, India remains home to a large percentage of the world's tigers and Asian elephants, presenting unique conservation challenges.
  • Karanth's work, recognized by Rolex and the National Geographic Society, focuses on understanding and mitigating the daily threats wildlife poses to communities in India.

Krithi K. Karanth, an Indian scientist, has spent nearly three decades working to foster coexistence between humans and large mammals, a challenge particularly acute in India. While European debates about wolves killing sheep seem minor to her, Karanth points to the immense destruction caused by elephants in India, where a single herd can decimate crops crucial for a family's survival over six months. "The losses are extremely heavy," she notes.

I am always amazed by all the fuss when a wolf kills a sheep. Try to live next to elephants.

— Krithi K. KaranthThe Indian scientist contrasts European concerns about wolves with the more severe challenges of living alongside elephants in India.

Despite these conflicts and India's population exceeding 1.4 billion, the country harbors approximately 70% of the world's tigers and 60% of Asian elephants. Karanth's research aims to understand and preserve this delicate balance. Recently named "Explorer of the Year 2026" by Rolex and the National Geographic Society, she now leads the Centre for Wildlife Studies. Growing up surrounded by wildlife, influenced by her renowned biologist father, she initially pursued law or architecture before realizing her calling at age 22.

The losses are extremely heavy.

— Krithi K. KaranthKaranth describes the significant impact of elephant-related crop destruction on Indian families.

Her work quickly revealed the stark reality for millions of Indians living alongside wild animals. For many, tigers, elephants, and leopards are not iconic species but threats to their livelihoods, livestock, and safety. Karanth estimates that Indian authorities receive around 100,000 reports of human-wildlife conflicts annually. These conflicts, such as a tiger killing a goat or an elephant destroying crops, are a daily reality for those living near these animals. The consequences can be dire; losing a bullock, for instance, can prevent a farmer from plowing fields and thus earning income.

A conflict is, for example, when a tiger enters a village and kills a goat or a cow, when an elephant destroys a farmer's crops, or when a bear injures a person.

— Krithi K. KaranthKaranth explains the nature of human-wildlife conflicts reported in India.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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