WCS has honored Dr. Ullas Karanth, upon his retirement, with The Wildlife Conservation Society's George Schaller Lifetime Award in Wildlife Conservation Science. The award is named after WCS’s Dr. George Schaller, a world leader in wildlife conservation.

Dr. Karanth was given the honor at the WCS Board of Trustees meeting in New York City on Oct. 29. He was presented with the award by WCS President and CEO Cristián Samper and WCS Chair Alejandro Santo Domingo.

“Dr. Karanth has set the bar for excellence in science and field research,” said Dr. Samper. “His leadership on tiger conservation is recognized across the globe, but his influence extends even beyond tigers. Today, there is not a species of big cat that is not better studied and conserved because of Ullas’s rigorous and conservation-focused science. It has been a great honor to work with Dr. Karanth.”

Said Dr. Schaller, “It has been my honor and pleasure to know Ullas since 1988 and mentoring his early career with the Wildlife Conservation Society. No one, anywhere, has done better research and conservation on large carnivores than Ullas."

Dr. Karanth joined WCS in 1988. He was inspired to become a wildlife biologist by the work of Dr. Schaller. Dr. Karanth’s research is often described as pioneering and groundbreaking. He has focused on the ecology of tigers, sympatric predators and other large mammals, predator-prey population ecology, and mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts. He has provided research expertise to projects across the world including in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Indonesia, Russia, as well as in Africa and Latin America.

Here are additional links to learn more about Dr. Karanth, his career and impact on wildlife conservation:

New Book Provides Proven Methods for Monitoring Tiger and Prey Populations

Ullas Among Four Conservation Scientists Honored for Excellence

Tiger breakthrough: Camera trap time stamps provide valuable data for conservationist

The Wildlife Conservation Society's George Schaller Lifetime Award in Wildlife Conservation Science has been created to honor WCS colleagues for outstanding contributions to saving wildlife and wild places. Dr. Karanth is the first recipient.

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