2025 was a momentous year for us all at the Wildlife Trust of India.

The year started with Karnataka adopting the Hostile Activity Watch Kernel (HAWK), a wildlife crime management platform developed by WTI. By digitising and streamlining crime management, it enables timely insights to expedite decision-making and reduce case pendency. Later in the year, HAWK was also adopted by the state of Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

We also launched the Tamil Nadu leg of our Gaj Utsav campaign this year in an effort to celebrate the Asian elephant across its corridors and push for helpful policy changes.

In Manipur, we launched the first ever Pangolin Cup football tournament to inspire action towards the protection of the world’s most trafficked mammal.

Talking of pangolins, the local Tangkhul Naga community in the state have led by example by turning into stewards for the species like pangolins, gibbons and hornbills. More than 250 villages came together to pledge for the protection of these species, with at least two individuals being rescued and sent back to the wild.

WTI, in partnership with the Columbus Zoo launched the first ever Centre for Species Survival for Asian Elephants in Chandaka, Odisha. We also signed an MoU with the Bihar Government to boost gharial conservation and breeding efforts along the Gandak River in Bihar.

WTI hand-raised six Asiatic black-bear cubs at CBRC in Arunachal Pradesh and two more at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Assam. Each of the bear cubs is currently on their last step in their journey back to the wild. Similarly, through our Pan-India Whale Shark Project, more than 1000 whale sharks were rescued from accidental entanglement in fishing nets and were sent back to the sea by fishers.

Elephant calves under rehabilitation at CWRC | Photograph by George Benjamin / IFAW

Our centre at CWRC is currently hand-raising nine elephant calves, three rhino calves and a buffalo calf. Further, we facilitated the reunion of an eight-week old elephant calf with its mother, along with the Assam Forest Department.

A whale shark that we tagged last year in Gujarat, completed more than 100 days of travel in the Arabian Sea, giving us important information on the migratory routes of the world’s largest fish along the Indian coast. This year, the whale shark project was also expanded to the state of Goa.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Terai landscape, we initiated a Public Alert System (aapka prahari) to reduce human-big cat negative interactions. Implemented across 81 villages reaching out to nearly87,000 people; it contributed directly to securing the lives of 71 individuals through proactively assisting them back to the safety of village from forest fringe areas.

Through our Kannur Kandal Project, the Cheruthazham Grama Panchayath won First Prize in the State-Level Competition for Best Mangrove Conservation Efforts. Our Sundarbans Tiger Project was featured in the World Bank publication “Good Neighbors” as a model transboundary project. CBRC was awarded a Gold Medal by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh on 20th February 2025 for their meritorious work in bear rehabilitation and conservation.

Our active enforcement assistance helped more than 35 seizure operations across the country, disrupting illegal wildlife trade and rescuing several animals.

At the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, where we launched two key reports – one highlighting the Van Rakshak Project that has been working to empower the frontline forest staff across India and another marking the success of our whale shark project spanning over two decades.

Launch of WTI’s publication on its Pan-India Whale Shark Conservation Project at IUCN Congress, Abu Dhabi

However, this was also the year we lost several conservation legends including Jane Goodall, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, my mentor and guide. WTI also mourns the passing of Ajay Balram, WTI’s Emeritus Member of the Board and Honorary Treasurer. Our founding member, Mr. Thomas Mathew too left us this September. The Indian conservation fraternity also mourned the loss of legends like Valmik Thapar, Dr. L.N. Acharjyo and Radheshyam Bishnoi.

While we grieve their absence, we are committed to honouring their legacy by continuing to secure the future of India’s natural heritage. We hope to have your continued support in the service of nature.

We wish you all a safe and healthy 2026.