Techie Manish Ahuja protects tigers
By Hitesh Shetty

In a Flat World, not only have Technology and Telecom hubs been created in India and China, but a large number of qualified techies from these countries have migrated to USA and Europe, settled well and integrated into local societies.  And in this Flat World, an Indian techie working for one of the most reputed tech companies, volunteers to help look after wildlife in America.

Techgoss (TG) What kind of IT have you studied? Which IT companies and software did you work with?
Manish Ahuja (MA): I did my post graduation from National Center for Software Technology, Mumbai, India (Which is now known as CDAC). I am currently working in EMC2 in the Backup Recovery and Storage division. In the past, among others, I have worked with Mahindra British Telecom and IBM in their networking and Operating Systems divisions.

TG: When did you migrate to USA?  What are your links with India now?
MA: I migrated to the US in 1998. I have very strong links with India since my family and friends still live there. I visit them almost every year. My visits give me ample opportunities to spend time with my family and explore gorgeous places in India that are teeming with wildlife.

TG: How did you get interested in protecting animals and wildlife?
MA: Growing up, I heard stories of run-ins my parents had during their childhood with wild animals all around them. They would describe the flora and fauna they encountered in great detail, their common names, their uses and how things changed over the years.

Then there was this awesome show by “Dr Salim Ali” a very well renowned ornithologist, aired by DoorDarshan during my childhood that whetted my appetite for sounds and sights of the forests. Later, my teachers and friends in college introduced me to the real world of wildlife by showing me those very sights and sounds in the field. Meeting so many like minded individuals during this course of time helped me sort my own ideas and understand things at a deep level. That is how I got interested.

TG: .Which animal protection and care projects are you working with?  How much time do you devote to working for big cats and animal rescue every week?
MA: I am currently volunteering with Carolina Tiger Rescue, which is involved in saving and protecting wild cats in captivity and in the wild. This is a big facility with over 70 big cats here.

In the US, there is a serious problem of exotic pet trade, where wildlife is bought and then discarded when pet owners realize that it is almost impossible to domesticate wildlife. Unfortunately, there are more tigers in captivity in USA than there are in the wild. When pet-owners buy a cute cuddly two pound newly born tiger from a pet dealer (which is legally allowed here in the USA), they do not realize that these tiny kittens grow to be 700 pound tigers in a couple of years. And then we have a real problem on hand. That is where Carolina Tiger Rescue steps in to help.

I volunteer two weekends in a month depending on my schedule. I give educational tours for visitors and introduce them to the wildlife on the facility, their habitats in the wild, adaptations each of the species has made to survive in their particular ecosystem, behavior and their status in the wild. It allows me to introduce visitors to real conservation work happening in the field all around the world. Somehow issues and challenges that these animals face in their habitat become more real for everyone, when you see the current state of affairs up close and in person and hear stories of how each animal came to be here.

I am also involved with an NGO based out of India that does pioneering ground work in the field of anti-poaching and man-wildlife interactions called ‘TigerWatch’. I have been helping them with fund raising and other odds and ends that the facility may need from time to time.

The volunteering work  in the aforementioned organizations allow me to interact, gain a 360 degree perspective and see the wild cats in a way that would not have been possible in any other way.

TG: What are your future plans?
MA: I am hoping that one day I can settle down in India and fully involve myself in the preservation of wild-life and continue diligent conservation work in the field.