1. SHARE
Leading a wild life: India’s
first trained woman
naturalist and wildlife
guide
Ratna Singh debunks the myth that women cannot work with wild
animals or live in forests
RatnaSingh
New Delhi: Ratna Singh, 35, is a trailblazer who has debunked the myth that
women cannot work with wild animals or live in forests. She is India’s first
trained woman naturalist and wildlife guide, working in the field for nine years.
Currently a safari specialist and trainer with Taj Safaris, in 2006, Ratna had to
undergo rigorous five-week selection process and physical training to compete
with 500 applicants. Only nine made the cut. She was the only woman!
Born and brought up in Khairaha village, a couple of hours drive from
Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, she was used to seeing wild
animals and aware of a career in forest lodges, where women normally did
maintenance and housekeeping. But that was not Ratna wanted to do. “When I
applied for the job of a naturalist, I was laughed at by men, who thought I
wouldn’t stick around for long,” she said.
“Initially, not only people in the area would run out of their homes to look at me,
but even the forest staff would gawk. And many times, ignoring the tiger, the
tourists on a safari would start clicking my pictures!” she said.
As a naturalist, what is one trained to do?
The naturalist is trained in various fields. The core, of course, is wildlife, so
ImageCredit: NilimaPathak/Gulf News
Published: 20:19 February 16, 2015
By Nilima Pathak, Correspondent
GulfNews News
Asia India
FILED UNDER
TAGS
INDIA
SOUTH AFRICA
India: Lalu plansto
launch hisson in
politics
ALSO IN INDIA
FRAMED GALLERY
Leaderscall on
martyr’sfamily
Thousands turnout for
ChincoteaguePony
Swim
GNTV VIDEOS
World'stop newson
video
GNDebate: TheGreek
deal, goodor bad?
FOLLOW US
VIEWED COMMENTED VIDEOS PICTURES
Indian girl, 14, to have late abortion
Historic building demolition opposed
Air India staff held for smuggling women
MOST POPULAR
01
02
03
CAPITAL:
New Delhi
POPULATION:
1.237 billion (WB, 2012)
LANGUAGES:
Hindi, Bengali, Telugu,
Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati,
Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya,
Punjabi,
HEAD OF STATE:
President Pranab Mukherjee
(since 22 July 2012)
India
COUNTRY IN FOCUS
Haze
Max - 33 °C
Min - 26 °C
INDIA: WEATHER TODAY SPONSORED BY
New Delhi
Celcius
INDIAAugust 2, 2015| Last updated 1minute ago
NEWS
UAE 37 GULF 9 MENA 19 EUROPE 9 AFRICA 4 ASIA 31 AMERICAS 9 OFFBEAT 2 1
BUSINESS SPORT OPINION LEISURE LIFE&STYLE CULTURE GUIDES MULTIMEDIA YOUR SAY IN FOCUS
24K
GOLD
USD 1095.1 USD
1 USD
63.9884 INR 6
EVENTS IN
NEXT 7 DAYS
GN NETWORK RADIO CLASSIFIEDS APPS SUBSCRIBE QUICK LINKS
Search Gulf News OR REGISTER NOWSIGN IN
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

2. animal tracks, their sounds and behaviour, flora and fauna and handling a safari
vehicle is mandatory. A naturalist has to be good not only at driving, but also
know basic vehicle maintenance. We also host guests, so hosting skills —
setting tables and making cocktails — are also taught. And since we are out
with the guests for long hours in the forests, we have to know outdoor first aid.
On starry nights, the naturalist also doubles up as an astronomer and
storyteller around the camp fire.
Gulf News: What’syour typical day like?
Ratna Singh: In the summer, the day starts at 4am and in winter at 5am.
There are two safaris in a day — the first, early morning to noon and the
second, from 3pm to 5.30pm. We are usually back by 6pm and it’s time for a
quick shower and wearing a smart uniform and getting set to host the guests at
cocktails and dinner. We usually sit with the guests swapping stories and
recounting the day’s events or sharing photographs. It’s bedtime by 11pm.
What’s your mission like when you take tourists out on a wildlife trip?
We take maximum of six people in a 4x4, specially modified Tata vehicle. Apart
from the guests, a guide or a tracker from the Forest Department accompanies
us. In Central India, where our lodges are located, people usually come in
search of the tiger. But a naturalist endeavours to present the wilderness and
its beauty as a whole to visitors. We stress on the splendour and importance of
the majestic animals like the tiger, as well as the expanse of the grasslands
supporting the multitudes of deer that feed the tiger. The birds add colour and
the monkeys add drama and comic relief. It really is a theatre!
People generally prefer seeing wildlife on a holiday. What are your holiday
preferences?
I have been living in the jungles for many years now. Incidentally, my husband
Wasim Kasim is also a wildlife buff, who works as a chartered accountant. We
both love to visit wilderness areas that are new to us and in different kinds of
habitat. While people may know me as a jungle person, like other young
women, I too love pretty clothes, so every now and then; I plan shopping
expeditions in the city.
Where all doesyour work take you?
Mostly Central India where we have our lodges at Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench
and Panna National Parks. I have also had the fortune of travelling to South
Africa and parts of Europe and Asia. On the personal front, I spend time in Delhi
as well, which I love in the winter.
How many women work as naturalists in India and Africa, which is also famous
for safaris?
In India, it is getting to be an organised profession. And I am glad to say that
Taj Safaris had a big role in it, as they were the first in the subcontinent to start
with wildlife guiding and training at par with international standards. But women
continue to be a minority as guides, though there have always been
researchers in the field. Surprisingly, even in Africa, which has had the safari
culture for long, there are few women guides in wildlife.
Could you relate some spine-chilling incidentsin the forest?
There have been several, but one of the most dreadful was when a leopard
jumped in front of me, while I was walking back to my cottage through a patch
of forest. Though I had wanted to run, there’s one dictum we live by in the forest
that whatever happens, don’t run.
Animals smell fear and turn into predator mode. So, I just kept my cool and the
leopard walked away. Another incident happened while we were watching a
young tiger about 100 metres away from our vehicles. Just when it was time for
us to leave, we found our vehicle had a flat tyre. In the midst of changing the
tyre, we suddenly saw a huge dominant tiger of the area walking towards us.
Just about 20 metres away from us, he walked towards the young tiger and we
witnessed a territorial fight between them. The experience left me shocked.
What are your viewson poaching of animalsin India?
Poaching still exists, although it is getting harder to get away with it. When
convictions of criminals become commonplace, it should abate further.
Are you satisfied with the steps taken by the concerned authorities in abating
such crimes?
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

3. SHARE
A lot is being done. The park authorities are now more vigilant and have more
awareness. There are some very dedicated officers in the parks and certain
sections of parks where man-animal conflicts were higher, have been fenced in.
But there has to be a firm political will and execution, as there still are hunters
by profession — some from the class that have hunted for fashion and because
their forefathers did. Such people still have a hold over the local populace and
tend to get away with hunting animals. There’s also this fact that forest guards
are not very well equipped to thwart poachers, as they patrol mostly on foot or
bicycles. And more often they are only equipped with a stick as weapon to
protect our natural heritage.
MORE FROM INDIA
54 minutes ago
India: Lalu plans to launch his
son in politics
59 minutes ago
KCR urges Modi to rename
DRDO after Abdul Kalam
05:46 pm
India: Landslide kills 20 in
Manipur
05:04 pm
Over 2m affected by floods in
West Bengal
02:35 pm
Goa minister accused of faking
qualifications
02:23 pm
Telangana Deputy CM comment
sparks public anger
02:09 pm
Social audit survey on suburban
trains in Mumbai
Bihar plans to return properties
of riot victims
INDIA
SOUTH AFRICA
TAGS FROM THIS
STORY
MOST POPULAR ON GULF NEWS
Four people arrested for slapping expat
Waiting to die for
decades in Pakistan
Bin Ladens killed in
plane crash
Slain toddler’s family fighting for livesCCTV cameras in taxis 41 to stand trial on
Belt man scares mosque worshippers
Spate of thefts fail to Boom Boom Afridi slays
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com