S3|E5 - Charismatic Canids - Conserving India's Wild Dogs with The Dhole Project

In Episode 5 of The Think Wildlife Podcast, I am joined by Mayank Shukla, Anshita Das and Arjun Srivathsa from The Dhole Project. Launched in 2016, The Dhole Project aims to conduct research on Asiatic wild dogs or ‘dholes’ to better understand their ecological requirements and protect their populations in India.The dhole is one of India’s most charismatic predators, with their range spreading across southern, central India. Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the dhole faces numerous threats, including rampant habitat fragmentation, free ranging dogs and inbreeding. In this episode we cover the ecology and conservation of dhole in India, particularly in the agroforestry landscape of Valparai. We also talk about The Dhole Project’s research on dhole genetics and human-wild canid interactions! The Dhole Project is currently running a campaign to raise INR 200,000 (2 lakhs) to fund the next stage of their fieldwork. Additionally, 30% of the revenue from optional subscriptions to The Think Wildlife Podcast in this episode will be donated to the project.Meet the HostAnish Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anish-banerjee-79ba63189/Think Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/Meet the GuestsArjun Srivathsa: http://www.arjunsrivathsa.com/Arjun is a DST INSPIRE Fellow at the National Centre for Biological Sciences–TIFR, Bengaluru and Affiliate Scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society–India.Anshita Das: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anshita-das/Anshita is affiliated with The Dhole Project at Wildlife Conservation Society–India. Her current research is centred on two key areas: social media perceptions of dholes, and the role of human food subsidies on dhole packs in human-dominated areas.Mayank ShuklaMayank is associated with The Dhole Project at NCBS–TIFR. His work involves examining dhole population dynamics and dhole–human interactions in Kerala.Recommended Wildlife Conservation BooksWildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9ZhIndian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCLAt the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsNCanids of the World by Dr. José R. Castelló: https://amzn.to/3UnWGkl Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe