The environment as a whole – from the small plants and insects to large trees, forests, mega fauna, to the air we breathe, streams, mountains, you name it, all form an integral part of our existence, as we are but a small part of an intricately balanced web.
Navroze Manekshaw, our next pathbreaker, Field Officer at Wildlife Trust of India, currently works at Sohagibarwa Wildlife Sanctuary and Sohelwa Wildlife Sanctuary where he assists the team in reducing wildlife crimes, setting up a sustainable community based information network and ensuring effective collaboration between enforcement agencies.
Navroze talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about some of the reasons he loves his work – Living close to nature, saving lives of animals, changing mind sets of people, seeing new places, learning new languages and hearing different stories.
For students, if you want to pursue your dream career, learn to never give up. Remember – Why do we fall? So that we can learn to get back up again.
Navroze, Your background?
As a child, I grew up moving around a lot as my father changed jobs or was transferred ever so often. This was because he was always a driven, career-oriented person, coupled with having to take care of a family. My mom pursued her own interests on and off, as she too was preoccupied with having to raise two mischievous children and later developed serious chronic medical ailments. Therefore, for the most part I lived in Bangalore, Karnataka and later Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Education wise, it was a bit of a rollercoaster. I had to change cities and schools right from play school. During my formative years I was double promoted to second standard and had to study kannada and hindi, both of which I was terrible at, for one was a jalebi language while the other had far too many nuances. Hence, when I got a chance in the 4th standard, I dropped Hindi thinking I can take it up at a later date and I wanted to challenge myself. Needless to say, I ended up dropping kannada as well in the 6th and took up French and stuck with it till the 12th, irrespective of the city, school or even country I was in.
Extra circular activity wise, I was more into team sports like basketball and football than solo sports and athletics. My older sister was more adept at those. I also had an interest in arts and crafts and would often practice origami and even tried my hand in sketching and song writing. Beyond this, my father was always a nature lover and outdoorsy person, therefore we would frequently go on hikes and treks with his friends. Additionally, both my parents had a lot of pets from cats and dogs to birds during their childhood, making them animal lovers. This naturally inculcated an interest and passion for animals in me as well, so much so that beyond cartoons, I used to watch animal planet out of curiosity.
What did you do for graduation/post graduation?
During my pre-graduation years, I wanted to become a veterinarian. However, as I never took studies too seriously, I missed the merit list by 2 marks. This made me lost and confused. Luckily, by this time my parents were onboard with the field I had chosen and my mom suggested that one of her friends thought a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science would be a good idea. Hence, I took up the BSc degree in the Maharaja Sayajirao University.
Post this, I realized that there were other ways to contribute to the wellbeing of animals. This time I was supported by my friends and the 10 of us collectively attempted the entrance exam of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Needless to say none of us cleared it. It was then that my girlfriend at the time suggested that we enroll at Bharati Vidiya Peeth in their Environment Education and Research Master’s Program. And so we did, most of my friends took up the EVS program, while another took on the GIS program and I took up the Wildlife Conservation Action course. Although it was a bit of a struggle juggling two jobs to pay my fees and attending classes, I managed to sail through.
What were some of the influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and uncommon career?
The first and foremost was my upbringing and environment
My mentors are a few close friends, teachers and two Idols – Sir David Attenborough and Steve Irwin
There were a few series of events that influenced my current career:
– The first was when a local man had killed a cobra that had ventured onto our porch when I was little. Seeing its death I vowed never to harm another being for my own benefit.
– The second was driven by taking care of our pet dog. My parents bought him to drive away my sister’s fear for dogs, as she was bitten by the mother while playing with puppies. I watched him grow up along with us like a family member.
– The third was a series of rescues of an injured baby bat, a house sparrow, a monitor lizard and two puppies stuck in a well.
– The fourth was a TV show I used to watch on animal rescues. One episode was on infant chimpanzees being rescued from traders in Peru. Seeing their plight made me want to fight against such crimes.
The biggest turning point was my field of graduation and post-graduation. The realization that there are other roads to reach a goal and they need not necessarily be a straight path. The destination is indeed important, but the journey to get there and the people you get there with are equally important.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
During my final year of graduation, we had an opportunity to conduct a dissertation in any field related to environmental science. One of my teachers, Mr. Sidat Azaz, offered us an opportunity to carry out our research at WII as he was previously a research fellow at the institute. I was not one to pass on this opportunity. And so I took the first step towards my current career.
At WII, I could not have hoped for a better guide than Mr.Qamar Qureshi, Scientist G at the time. Post orientation, I was sent to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to work in the Gaur and Tiger monitoring projects carried out by the field team. The field team were my guides and family for the next three months. Through the course, I was taught how to walk a line transect (A line transect is a sampling method that involves recording organisms along a line to study their abundance and distribution. It can be used to study plants, animals, or other objects), conduct vegetation sampling, the biodiversity of the landscape, camera trapping, sign identification and monitoring and identifying the re-introduced population of Gaur.
Two things however, were self-taught, one was to always be prepared and know your field before you venture into it. As a first experience, I had no idea that ticks would be such a nuisance and went through hell once I got bitten all over by them. The second was, no matter how excited you are, prioritize your work and don’t get overwhelmed by the adventure. Have fun but learn while you do. In the second leg of my thesis, I spent three months in Dehradun at WII. I still recollect Qumar Sir, telling me to become an ecologist and not to go after wildlife offenders like some James Bond. However, that only cemented my resolve to combat wildlife crimes as I was a more hands-on approach kind of a person than a researcher.
During my final year of post-graduation, we had to carry out a dissertation and take part in an internship, both of which were carried out under the guidance of Mr. Jose Louies, CEO of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Sir also takes guest lectures at the university where I was studying.
I took up my thesis on the scenario of illegal wildlife trade in Bangalore although my HOD was opposed to it as there is limited scope to publish scientific papers in the field of wildlife crime. Also, my grandmother was undergoing treatment for cancer. In order to collect secondary data, I volunteered at the Care for Wild Rescue Center at Bannerghatta National Park and People For Animals. Both these experiences were different as the former one involved cleaning and enrichment of enclosures and assisting the vet while the latter primarily involved feeding the rescued wildlife.
Post this, during my internship, my initial field guide wasn’t very supportive and I mostly interacted with locals and the Forest Department staff of Kali Tiger Reserve. I had befriended a few ex-poachers and got insights into the hunting practices in the landscape. Three months later, I was shifted to a component of a project involving Anti-Snare Walks (ASW) and information collection undertaken by the late Mr.Nagaraja Narayan Bhatt. Anti-Snare Walks (ASWs) are joint patrols by forest authorities and volunteers to identify and remove snares that threaten wildlife. The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) pioneered ASW
Post my internship, Jose Sir was satisfied with my work and was willing to enroll me and a friend into the organization, WTI.
Unfortunately, a few months after I joined, Nagaraja Sir expired on the job during a field operation. By this time, I was sufficiently integrated into the project – Wildlife Crime Prevention Assistance in five Tiger Reserves of Karnataka. My work involved assisting and training frontline forest staff in wildlife crime prevention, setting up grass root level information networks, ASWs and law enforcement. For the next two and a half years I was posted in Karnataka and was promoted to Field Officer post clearance of my probationary period.
Post this, I was transferred to Uttar Pradesh (UP) and carried out the same activities as the Karnataka project. Additionally, I along with my colleagues undertook orientation of Sashastra Seema Bal ( a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Nepal and Bhutan), Customs and Police on wildlife crimes, article identification, biodiversity and basics of behavioural ecology and sign identification, assisting in conduction workshops for the judicial faculty, liasoning with officials and NGOs from Nepal, assisting lawyers in providing legal aid, conducting community and school level awareness programs and assisting the forest department and other divisions of WTI in their activities – rescue and rehabilitation, forest fire management, setting up deals with traders, collecting information, strategising enforcement operations and carrying them out, conflict mitigation to name a few. At present, I carry out these activities in six protected areas along the Indo-Nepal border shared by UP and Bihar.
How did you get your first break?
My first break was given by Jose Sir when he assured me that he will give me a job at WTI.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
Challenge 1: My biggest challenge is that I am not a great orator and often get shy and nervous while addressing large crowds. A small group is manageable.
I addressed this challenge by taking advice from my seniors, observing my co-workers, letting my passion for work take the lead and understanding of the problems faced by the local communities residing along the fringes through interactions.
Challenge 2: My second biggest challenge was riding a bike. I realized it was high time I learned driving so as to reduce my dependency on others and carry out the work more freely.
Where do you work now?
I currently work at WTI and am posted at Sohagibarwa Wildlife Sanctuary and Sohelwa Wildlife Sanctuary and assist the team in the other project sites and the remainder of the state of UP and Bihar.
What problems do you solve?
The prime objectives are to – reduce wildlife crimes, set-up a sustainable community based information network and ensure effective collaboration between enforcement agencies.
What skills are required for your role? How did you acquire the skills?
Basic skills required are –
- Cooking
- Ability to drive a vehicle
- Presence of mind and quick thinking
- Ability to survive in harsh conditions
- Physical endurance
- Analytical capacity
- People and language skills
- Interrogation and Investigative techniques
- Understanding of trends and patterns in wildlife crime
Most of these skills were acquired through observation, studying, pushing oneself to constantly learn and improve, and passion for the field.
What’s a typical day like?
There is no fixed routine of a typical day. It varies based on the tasks to be carried out in a stipulated time period.
For eg. If an ASW is to be conducted in an area where the team is aware that snares are frequently found, the Forest Department (FD) is informed beforehand and the walk or series of walks are planned. All of which begin between 6 to 8 am based on varying conditions. And the equipment is to be checked a day prior to the walk.
On the other hand, an orientation or training takes on a whole set of activities right from the permissions and follow-up with participants, planning the venue, food, collaterals and kits, accommodation and travel of trainers if it is a large scale training, ensuring a smooth running of the program and take part in hosting it.
Likewise, an emergency rescue or forest fire involves a completely different set of activities.
What is it you love about this job?
Living close to nature, saving lives of animals, changing mind sets of people, seeing new places, learning new languages and hearing different stories.
How does your work benefit society?
The environment as a whole – from the small plants and insects to large trees, forests, mega fauna, to the air we breathe, streams, mountains, you name it, all form an integral part of our existence as we are but a small part of an intricately balanced web. We are so dependent on it and absorbed in our daily routine that we as a society forget to protect and preserve it for others because everyone has a right to exist, and without it we would not exist.
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
The team assisted the FD in monitoring the eggs of an Indian Rock Python for close to two months. A day prior to the hatching the mother had left them as per its natural behavior. The team monitored and assisted 42 out of the 73 eggs to hatch successfully. The rest either expired within the egg or were crushed by the weight of the mother and their siblings. Although this was disheartening, the remaining 42 hatchlings were carefully weighed, measured and released in the wild.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
There are a few points of advice –
– Understand your field whatever it may be, identify the course, path and career opportunities.
– No work is big/ small or demeaning if you are passionate enough to strive for it.
– Fail, fall, get hurt but never give up, always learn and move on. Remember – Why do we fall? So that we can learn to get back up again.
– Take the opportunities you get.
– Ask for advice and guidance from people in your field or people whose opinions matter to you but make your decisions.
– Don’t chase success, run after excellence– remember the “3 Idiots” quote.
– Money is equally important and essential, but don’t make it your goal. Save whenever you can early in your career even if it is a small amount, for your responsibilities will grow with you.
– Lastly, constantly upskill yourself, stay current and relevant, or you will be left behind.
Future Plans?
Have a few plans, but the future is not set in stone.