Dr. Naveen Pandey
Wildlife Service Awards 2024
Dr. Naveen Pandey
Veterinarian, community-based conservationist, disease ecologist
Dr. Naveen Pandey, seen here during a visit to a Myristica swamp in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district in 2022, has been documenting India’s natural heritage for over two decades and has written extensively on the resilience of ecosystems such as grasslands and wetlands. Photo Courtesy: Reshma Jathar.
Crouched on the forest floor, Dr. Naveen Pandey stitches a chinkara’s abdomen torn in a road accident in Kutchh, or bathes an elephant calf days after its abscess removal surgery in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. With over two decades of field work under his belt, he is one of India’s foremost wildlife surgeons, and is now General Manager Head Sustainability Biodiversity, even as he continues his mission as a globally recognised One Health Practitioner.
Dr. Pandey’s love for nature began in his childhood in Chittaranjan, West Bengal. After completing his veterinary degree, he pursued a Masters degree in Conservation Medicine from the University of Edinburgh, which laid the foundation for his One Health and community-based conservation work. His first job with the Darjeeling Goodwill Animal Shelter helped him understand the interconnectedness of communities and nature, shaping his commitment to the “One Health” approach that integrates the health of people, animals, and the environment.
Dr. Pandey later joined The Corbett Foundation as Deputy Director and Veterinary Advisor based in Kaziranga, where he worked for 10 years. Kaziranga soon became home to him and his family, with his sons, Shiven and Nalin, sharing their father’s deep love of nature. Dr. Pandey understands the connection between wildlife and domestic animals in the ecotones of forest peripheries. His work on the management and welfare of captive elephants in West Bengal has become standard practice. His model of mass immunisation of livestock for disease control around the Kanha Tiger Reserve, based on a joint partnership of the park and The Corbett Foundation has become a self-replicating method for over a decade. As an NTCA representative, Dr. Pandey contributed to its efforts to ensure effective protocol implementation for the post-mortem examination of tigers. He has operated on many avians, and rehabilitated them into the wild in his long career spanning Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Jaipur, Kutchh, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Kaziranga and Tamenglong.
Dr. Pandey has spent over two decades documenting India’s natural heritage. His refreshing advice for young researchers: “You don’t need to ‘try’ to be a conservationist. Being a conservationist is a way of life. Your every act should take you in that direction.”
Dr. Naveen Pandey’s work with fringe communities to ensure the health of people and their livestock has translated into a more secure Kaziranga National Park. Sanctuary salutes him for his compassionate and strategic approach to protecting wildlife, humans, and all of nature!