NEW DELHI: India on Saturday lost one of its most passionate and influential wildlife conservationists, Valmik Thapar, who passed away at the age of 73 after battling cancer.
A towering figure in tiger conservation, Thapar dedicated more than four decades of his life to protecting India’s wild tigers, particularly in Rajasthan's Ranthambore National Park, where he spent extensive time studying and documenting their lives. His deep understanding of tiger behavior and his advocacy played a crucial role in shaping public discourse and policy around wildlife conservation in India.
In 1988, Thapar co-founded the Ranthambhore Foundation, a pioneering NGO that worked on community-based conservation, aiming to bridge the gap between local communities and conservation efforts—an approach that was ahead of its time.
Valmik Thapar came from a family deeply rooted in India’s intellectual and journalistic tradition. His father, Romesh Thapar, was a noted political commentator, and his mother, Raj Thapar, founded the political journal Seminar. He was the nephew of eminent historian Romila Thapar and cousin of journalist Karan Thapar.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh termed his death a great loss.
"Today's Ranthambore, particularly, is a testimony to his deep commitment and indefatigable zeal. He was uncommonly knowledgeable on a variety of issues relating to biodiversity, and not a day passed during my Ministerial tenure without our talking to each other, with me almost always at the receiving end," Ramesh posted on X.
He said that during his tenure as chairman of the Standing Committee, Thapar was a constant source of valuable suggestions and advice.
Thapar studied at The Doon School and later graduated with a gold medal in sociology from St Stephen's College, Delhi University.
Thapar married theatre artist Sanjana Kapoor, daughter of actor Shashi Kapoor, and they have a son.
Thapar was mentored by Fateh Singh Rathore, a legendary figure in Indian conservation and a key member of the original Project Tiger team.
Over his five-decade-long career, Thapar strongly lobbied for tougher anti-poaching rules and efforts to protect tiger habitats.
He was part of more than 150 government panels and task forces, including the National Board for Wildlife, which is led by the prime minister.
In 2005, Thapar was appointed a member of the Tiger Task Force, set up by the UPA government to review the management of tiger reserves following the disappearance of tigers from Sariska Tiger Reserve.
When the task force, chaired by environmentalist Sunita Narain, concluded its report, Thapar submitted a dissent note.
He expressed concern that the report was overly optimistic about the coexistence of tigers and humans.
Thapar argued that for tigers to survive in the long run, certain areas needed to be kept free from human interference.
He said that a minimum area should be managed exclusively in its natural form for a tiger.
Thapar wrote or edited more than 30 books on wildlife, including Land of the Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent (1997), and Tiger Fire: 500 Years of the Tiger in India.
He also presented and co-produced several well-known films for channels like the BBC.
One of his more famous works was a six-part series "Land of the Tiger" (1997), which explored the nature and wildlife of the Indian subcontinent.
In 2024, he appeared in the documentary "My Tiger Family," which showcased his 50 years of observing wild tigers in Ranthambore National Park.
Thapar had strong reservations about Project Cheetah, India's initiative to reintroduce African cheetahs into the wild.
He argued that India does not have the necessary habitat or prey base to support free-ranging cheetahs and that the authorities lacked experience in managing spotted felines in the wild.
Paying her tributes, conservation biologist Neha Sinha called him "the international voice of Indian tigers for many many years" and urged people to read his influential books such as "Tiger Fire" and "Living with Tigers" as a tribute.
Wildlife conservationist Nirmal Ghosh remembered him as "a giant of tiger conservation" who leaves behind "a lasting legacy as a global spokesman for the tiger.
(With inputs from PTI)