Founders

Geeta Seshamani

Co-Founder and Secretary

Geeta Seshamani started working in 1979 with an animal welfare organisation called Friendicoes SECA in New Delhi. Her passion is wildlife conservation and research. Geeta has been a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India, Central Zoo Authority, the Government of India and has received several lifetime achievement awards and felicitations for her work in the field. Geeta established Wildlife SOS in 1995 with Kartick Satyanarayan that runs several projects to support bear conservation in India, including the largest rehabilitation centre in the world for Sloth bears. She is known for her work in bringing an end to the ‘dancing’ bear problem in India while rehabilitating the Kalandar communities through education and alternate livelihoods. She is now focused on tackling bear conservation issues through biodiversity conservation, protecting Sloth bear and Asiatic Black bear habitats, and creating bear conservation and education programmes to mitigate bear-human conflict in India.

Geeta was featured in ‘Women of Pure Wonder’, a coffee table book launched by Vodafone India and the Vodafone Foundation. She is a recipient of the San Diego Zoo Global Conservation Medal for “Conservation in Action” (2018) and has been felicitated with The Maharana Udai Singh Award, 2019, for conservation, and community rehabilitation work.

Kartick Satyanarayan

CEO & Co-Founder

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, is often referred to as the ‘Bear Man of India’ for his efforts to put an end to the illegal practice of ‘dancing’ bears in India (TED talk). He is now focused on tackling bear conservation issues through biodiversity conservation, protecting habitat and creating bear conservation and education programmes to mitigate bear-human conflict in India.

In 1995, he founded the not-for-profit organisation Wildlife SOS with Geeta Seshamani which runs several projects to support bear conservation in India, including the largest rehabilitation centre in the world for Sloth bears. Wildlife SOS works with indigenous communities and in partnership with the Indian Government to tackle the increasing bear-human conflict through awareness. Kartick is an Honorary Wildlife Warden of Delhi, member of the state wildlife advisory board, Government of Uttar Pradesh, member – Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, member – Central Zoo Authority, and member of the Leopard Conflict Committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India. He is a recipient of the San Diego Zoo Global Conservation Medal for “Conservation in Action” (2018) and has been felicitated with The Maharana Udai Singh Award, 2019, for conservation and community rehabilitation work.

Indian Board Members

Onita Nakra

Chairperson

GEETA SESHAMANI

Secretary

Alpana Ahuja

Board Member

Arjun Nirula

Board Member

Mohit Oberoi

Board Member

Dr. Sabrina Sabharwal

Board Member

Simi Dewan

Board Member

USA Board of Directors

Esther Wolkowitz

Secretary

Amber Ayers

Vice President

Danielle Brigida

Board Member

Greta Palmer

President

Kristen Ward Broz

Board Member

Erik Oberholtzer

Board Member

Miriam Waigand

Treasurer

Sunny Branson

Board Member

Indian Staff

Baiju Raj M.V.

Director Conservation Projects

Dr. Arun A Sha

Director – Research & Veterinary Operations

Suvidha Bhatnagar

Director of Communications

Dr. S. Ilayaraja

Deputy Director - Veterinary Services

Wasim Akram

Deputy Director- Special Projects

Aaliya Mir

Education Officer and Programme Head – Jammu and Kashmir

Rakhee Sharma

Project Manager - Community Initiatives & Alternative Livelihoods

Sandhi Priya

Deputy Director- Corporate and Philanthropic Partnership

Mahendra Balu Dhore

Veterinary Assistant

Jagat Bahadur

Senior Accounts Officer

Jaswant Singh

Accounts Officer

Swaminathan Shanmugavelu

Senior Biologist

Shivam Rai

Elephant Project - Head Coordinator

Harendra Singh

Head Coordinator Visitor and Volunteer Program

USA Staff

Dana Wilson

Director of Marketing and Communications

Kip Peterson

Director of Advocacy and Engagement

Lavanya Raju

Director of Finance

Nikki Sharp

Executive Director

Thomas Sharp

Director of Conservation and Research

UK Team

Tamarisk Grummitt

Trustee

Debbie Haynes

UK Manager

Pooja Binepal

Advisor

Our Social Media

Hotline Number | हॉटलाइन नंबर

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