Asir Jawahar Thomas Johnsingh (14 October 1945 – 7 June 2024) was an Indian vertebrate ecologist from Tamil Nadu.[1] Johnsingh's study of the Dhole in Bandipur National Park was the first study of a free-ranging mammal by an Indian scientist.[2]
A.J.T. Johnsingh | |
|---|---|
ஏ. ஜெ. டி. ஜான்சிங் | |
 Johnsingh in 2010 | |
| Born | Asir Jawahar Thomas Johnsingh 14 October 1945 |
| Died | 7 June 2024 (aged 78) |
| Other names | AJT |
| Occupation | Scientist |
| Spouse |
Kousalya (d. 2013) |
| Children | Mike Mervin |
Biography edit
Johnsingh was born in Nanguneri,[3] in Tirunelveli DIstrict of Tamil Nadu in 1945, and spent his early years there. He went on to do his graduate studies in the Madras Christian College, Chennai. He was a pioneering wildlife scientist and the first Indian to carry out field research on large wild mammals, particularly dhole, in Indian forests.[4] His research during 1976-78 focused on the ecology and prey-predator relationships of dhole, other carnivores and ungulates in Bandipur National Park.[5]
After brief stints as a professor at Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, Sivakasi, and as a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., he returned to India in 1981 to work with the Bombay Natural History Society. In 1985, he joined the newly-established Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, where he became the head of the faculty of wildilfe sciences, and retired as the Dean in 2005.[3]
He served as advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. He wrote several books on wildlife conservation.[6][7]
Johnsingh received a Padma Shri award and received various other distinguished awards including the $100,000 ABN AMRO Award.[8]
Johnsingh died on 7 June 2024, at the age of 78.[9]
Books edit
- On Jim Corbett's Trail and Other Tales from Tree-tops, 2004, Permanent Black, ISBN 81-7824-081-5
- Field Days: A Naturalist's Journey Through South and Southeast Asia, 2005, Universities Press, ISBN 978-8173715525
- Walking the Western Ghats, 2015, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199460823
- On Jim Corbett's Trail and Other Tales from the Jungle, 2018, Natraj Publishers, ISBN 978-8181582539
Edited volumes edit
- Mammals of South Asia, Volume 1, 2012, (Edited by A. J. T. Johnsingh and Nima Manjrekar), Orient BlackSwan, ISBN 978-8173715907
- Mammals of South Asia, Volume 2, 2015, (Edited by A. J. T. Johnsingh and Nima Manjrekar), Orient BlackSwan, ISBN 978-8173715891
References edit
- ^ ""Meet Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh"". Sanctuaryasia.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ "Dr. AJT Johnsingh - Leading the Way". Jungle Lodges & Resorts. 31 May 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ a b "India's foremost wildlife biologist and conservation activist, A J T Johnsingh, is no more". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ PTI (8 June 2024). "Biologist and conservation activist Johnsingh leaves behind rich conservation legacy". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Johnsingh, A. J. T. (1983). "Large mammalian prey - predators in Bandipur". Journal of The Bombay Natural History Society. 80 (1): 1–57.
- ^ ""Of tribals and tigers..."". Thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ "Batting for the precious Ghats". The Hindu. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ ""ABN Amro salutes `earth heroes' "". Thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ Eminent wildlife biologist AJT Johnsingh dies