The WTI Endangered Species Award is given to an individual or a group of individuals who have contributed to the conservation of a single species of wildlife. It carries a cash award, a certificate and a statuette.
2000
S.T. Ramesh, IGP Forest Cell, Karnataka Police & Team
Policemen are by definition enforcers of the law. However, it is unusual for policemen to be interested in wildlife crime. It is even more unusual for a state administration to set up a formal Forest Cell and for its officers to tackle wildlife crime on a war footing within their jurisdiction. S.T.Ramesh, then IGP, Forest Cell of Karnataka, Inspector Naseer Ahmed, and their team of policemen did just that when, in ten separate daring raids, they seized ivory from an organized gang of ivory smugglers and as a result broke up the local mafia. Ramesh has a softer side to him as he is interested in bird watching as well, but in his duties as a team leader he showed exemplary vision and leadership qualities that led to a group of policemen turning green.
2001
K. N. Changappa
K. N. Changappa, a retired senior tea estate manager, is responsible for saving the endangered Nilgiri Tahr. He has long been associated with wildlife conservation and Eravikulam National Park in Kerala, the only viable habitat of the Nilgiri Tahr in the world, would have been wiped out if it had not been for his unceasing efforts in its creation and subsequent protection. K. N. Changappa is the pioneering spirit behind the revolutionary concept of harnessing corporate support for wildlife, and has today made Eravikulam one of the few wildlife sanctuaries in the world that is protected cooperatively by the Forest Department and an NGO, the High Range Wildlife and Environment Preservation Association.
2002
Late Mr Dera Nathung
The Late Dera Nathung, former minister of education, Arunachal Pradesh, was a politician by profession but a wildlifer at heart. He took up the cause of conservation with the government institutions and departments in his home state of Arunachal Pradesh. He mobilised the general public on the importance of preserving wildlife. His efforts contributed to placing Arunachal on the world conservation map. More than anything, he will be remembered for his remarkable achievement of persuading his fellow tribesmen, the Nishis, to opt for fiberglass hornbill beaks instead of the original ones. His tragic death in an air crash was a great loss to conservation.
2003
Mike Pandey
Documentary filmmaker Mike Pandey's riveting essay on celluloid, Shores of Silence: Whale Sharks in India, went a long way in building up a strong global case for the conservation and protection of the world's largest fish, which are highly endangered. He has won various awards worldwide for his films on wildlife. He also runs Earth Matters Foundation, an organisation that works for wildlife conservation.
2004
Dr. Ravi Sankaran
Dr. Ravi Sankaran has worked for years to protect the Edible nest swiftlets in Andaman and Nicobar Islands . In a rare mix of excellent science and pragmatic conservation, Dr. Sankaran has been able to imbue a sense of pride and ownership among the people who make a living out of harvesting swiftlet nests. His work has given swiftlets in Andamans a new lease of life.
2005
Special Staff of the Central District of the Delhi Police
Robbery, rape, murder, and VIPs dominate a Delhi policeman's life. It was, therefore, a surprise to see the keen interest taken by a team of dedicated officers of the Special Staff of Central District led by Inspector Rakesh Giri, who busted a gang of well-known and notorious smugglers of wildlife products and recovered derivatives of various wild animals worth more than Rs 5 crore. The team consisting of SI Antrix Alok, SI Pankaj Kumar, HC Ram Avatar, HC Resham Pal, HC Satish, HC Sashi Kant, Ct. Sunder Gautam, Ct. Jasvinder, Ct. Bhupender, Ct. Yashpal Bhati, Ct. Sanjeev, Ct. Sat Narain, Ct. Rakesh, and Ct. Naresh have dealt a body blow to the brazen confidence of wildlife criminals.
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