S14. E7: Dr. Krithi Karanth: Saving Wildlife in a World of Humans
“India is extraordinary in the sense that we already see a lot of sort of cultural reverence for species and some inherent tolerance in society. And just adding a little bit of knowledge to that means they know that it is not an intentional act on the part of the animal to come and destroy you. A lot of the injuries and deaths are purely accidental. And once that little bit of understanding adds on… these people already care. It’s not like they don’t care for wildlife.”
Imagine living in a place where elephants can destroy your family's crops overnight, where leopards sometimes kill your livestock, and where an encounter with a wild animal can mean the difference between life and death.
Now imagine being asked to help protect those same animals.
This is the reality for millions of people living alongside wildlife in India. And it's the challenge that Krithi Karanth has spent much of her life trying to solve.
Krithi is the CEO of the Centre for Wildlife Studies in India and was recently named National Geographic's Explorer of the Year.
What makes Krithi's work so impactful is that she knows that if we want to save wild animals, we have to find ways for people to live alongside them.
Which is exactly what she is doing, on an extraordinary scale.
Please listen and share.
In gratitude,
Elizabeth Novogratz
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