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Lessons from the Canopy. (Part 1: Theory meets Reality)

THEORY MEETS REALITY  When I first arrived in Kudremukh for my thesis fieldwork, everything felt simple in my head. I had read the papers, refined my methods, prepared my datasheets, and imagined the next few months clearly — locate a troop of lion-tailed macaques, follow them, collect behavioural observations, and slowly build my dataset. In theory, it sounded almost straightforward. Reality had other plans. The first step was to complete some final paperwork at the Forest Department office. I walked in full of excitement, already imagining my first day in the forest. When the staff member handling my documents asked what species I would be studying, I confidently said, “Lion-tailed macaques.” He paused. “Lion-tailed macaques?” he repeated, looking puzzled. “What is that?” I pulled up a picture and showed him. He looked at it for a moment and casually replied, “No… this is not here. You’ll have to go to Agumbe for this.” Kudremukh itself was a completely new place to me, an...
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A path that found me. (Part 3- Realising where I belong)

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REALISING WHERE I BELONG Choosing the Lion-Tailed Macaque: a species that chooses you  Endangered. Elusive. Confident yet cautious. Dramatic, political, intelligent, emotional. When I started exploring thesis topics, everything kept pointing back to lion-tailed macaques — a species most people never get to see, but one that carries an entire rainforest on its back. I chose to study how human-modified spaces influence their foraging behaviour , especially in monsoon-soaked Kudremukh. And that was it. I had officially —  unintentionally —  confirmed my aspiration to be a primatologist. Why start this blog now? Because this journey wasn’t planned. It wasn’t a childhood dream. It wasn’t a straight line. It was a collection of moments: a documentary paused at the right second a macaque stealing someone’s dosa a survey that revealed the human side of wildlife conflict internships that felt too short forest days that felt too long but too meaningful and a troop of lion-tai...
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A path that found me. (Part 2- The steps I didn't know I was taking)

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THE STEPS I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS TAKING The first step into research: understanding humans and monkeys  My first actual research project was a perception survey on bonnet macaques in Bengaluru . It opened my eyes to a truth most people forget: Human–monkey conflict isn’t just about monkeys entering cities; it’s about how we perceive them, fear them, tolerate them, or admire them. That project showed me how layered primate conservation really is — you’re not studying only the animal, you’re studying the relationship between animal and human. And that complexity drew me in even more. The moment everything changed: discovering primate vocalisations During my internships and volunteer work, I started paying close attention to vocalisations . One alarm call could mean: an eagle overhead, a leopard nearby, a troop member wandering too far, or simply irritation with another macaque Primate communication wasn’t just sound — it was emotion, warning, negotiation, reassurance . And I knew...
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A path that found me. (Part 1- The Early Signs)

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THE EARLY SIGNS  How a city kid fell in love with Wildlife? more specifically primates? If you had told my younger self — a girl who grew up in busy urban neighbourhoods — that one day she’d be standing in the rain, tracking macaques through a foggy rainforest, she would have laughed. Because back then, my entire “wildlife experience” came from zoos, safaris, and documentaries . But maybe that’s where the real spark began — in those quiet moments when a documentary made me pause the video… just to watch a chimpanzee’s expression one more time. The similarity to us felt almost unsettling, and absolutely fascinating. The monkeys that walked into my classroom Even in the city, primates had a way of entering my life — quite literally. In school, bonnet macaques regularly visited our classrooms, casually opening lunch boxes with more skill than some of my classmates . Watching them learn by observing us wasn’t just funny; it was my first real glimpse into their intelligence, adaptab...
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