We welcome you to know about us
We are a team of highly motivated professionals working hard to make a positive change in the wildlife conservation sphere.
We work to understand and address conservation needs through research, documentation, community engagement and education.
Simplicity and Synergy are key ingredients of our work ethic.
We empower the youth to set the foundation for the next generation of conservation practitioners.
We work on a uniquely designed cutting-edge ‘Low Cost High Impact model’ which ensures greater ground level benefits.
WILD OTTERS was started in September 2014 with willingness to make a diffirence and without an office space. Now we have a well-established base on Chorao island in Goa which can house 14 people.
Otters are the animals you never knew you needed to know about. There is a global scarcity of research and conservation efforts on otters. WE PRIORITISE OTTER CONSERVATION!
Majority of our conservation efforts are focussed outside protected areas where conservation need is high. Here, community engagement and empowerment is the key element sustaining long-term conservation efforts.
We are the largest working group on otter research and conservation in India.
OUR TEAM
Atul Borker
Founder - Director
Atul is the Continental Coordinator for South Asia and Species Coordinator for Lutrogale perspicillata for IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group. He is recipient ‘Future Conservationist Award‘ from Conservation Leadership Programme for his work on otters in 2014. Graduated as Mechanical Engineer, he worked in a multinational software company before making a professional switch to wildlife conservation research. He is also interested in abstract painting, human psychology and fitness.
Dr. Katrina Fernandez
Director
Katrina is interested in various aspects of conservation biology, including community ecology, population dynamics and population viability of small carnivores. She also has a strong interest in communicating conservation issues and science to the public and engaging people in participatory approaches to conservation, including habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring, and awareness raising. She has experience working as an ecologist in Africa, Asia and Australia and is a Full Member of the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group.
Hannah Krupa
Research Associate
Hannah's main interest lies in wildlife conservation and animal behavior. She’s proven to be a budding naturalist with a commitment to the outdoors. Her enthusiasm for all things untamed is contagious and her curiosity knows no bounds. Hannah’s ultimate conservation goal is to use animal behavioral research to create an enduring goodwill between man and wild.
Akshita Pungaliya
Project Manager
Akshita is an MSc graduate in Conservation Project Management from Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent. After completing her graduation in Business Management, Akshita decided to switch to her lifelong passion of wildlife conservation and research. She focuses on managing conservation projects effectively. Her scientific interests revolve around studying animal and insect behavior.
Komal Gogi
Research Associate
komal was exposed to wildlife early on as a child. As a result, she developed a keen interest and sensitivity towards well being of animals. Ardent about wildlife conservation research, she wants to scientifically explore change in animal habitat resulting in creating human wildlife/animal co-existence.
Jessica Luis
Research Associate
Jessica Luis is a post-graduate student of Ecology and Environmental Sciences at Pondicherry University. Her interest in wildlife and animal behaviour started with birding in the wetlands around her home in Vasai, which then led her to volunteer in bird, mammal, and human-wildlife conflict surveys and outreach programs around India.
Anoshka Javeri
Communications Officer
Anoshka Jhaveri started her profession as a short film and advertisement film editor. She completed her BA in Communications, and freelanced for multiple corporates and advertisement agencies. She is now focused on film making and communications for animal conservation. She is interested in making conservation seem less intimidating to the common man, without diluting terminologies and methods. Her other interests are music composition, pistol shooting and non-representational paintings of the human body.
Mrinmayi Dalvi
Research Intern
At a young age, Mrinmayi decided to make her fascination for wildlife her profession. While doing her masters in Wildlife Conservation Action, she realised that people are only aware of animals that they consider majestic, due to which local animals that are lesser known are rapidly decreasing in number. Her current goal is to contribute to their conservation. She is also interested in animal behaviour, and human-animal interactions. Apart from this, she enjoys conservation art, through which, she aims to create general awareness.
SUPPORTING MEMBERS
Abhishek Gopal
Arvind Prabhakar
Adithi Muralidhar
Bhavna Menon
Aniruddh Sheth
Manisha Rao
SCIENTIFIC ADVISERS
Dr. Vidya Athreya
Dr. Nicole Duplaix
Dr. Ajith Kumar
SUPPORTING ORGANISATION
