Celebrated tiger conservationist Valmik Thapar passes away at 73

Valmik Thapar, a prominent conservationist, naturalist, television producer and author, passed away in New Delhi on May 31, 2025, at the age of 73. For five long decades, Thapar was a respected authority on the state of India’s tigers, and stirred many crusaders of the wild to follow his footsteps.

Born in 1952 to renowned political journalists, Thapar completed his education at St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi. His career was first inspired by the sight of the charismatic big cat in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, and inevitably influenced by then park director Fateh Singh Rathore. Despite lacking formal training in conservation or biology, he keenly observed tigers and learned on the ground, ultimately building enough credibility to serve in government bodies like the National Board for Wildlife. Through such roles, he was pivotal in strengthening protection for tiger reserves and other habitats.

With Rathore’s support, Thapar founded Ranthambhore Foundation in 1987 to facilitate community-led conservation efforts in the park, and partnered with other initiatives to secure livelihoods for displaced residents. Rathore’s tireless work had led to Ranthambhore being globally noted as a tiger habitat, and one of the first protected areas to inspire wildlife tourism in India. Until Rathore’s demise in 2011, he and Thapar joined hands in being unafraid voices that often took controversial stances on development projects and conservation issues. They left an indelible mark on India’s wildlife policies — a legacy that Thapar continued until his passing.

“Most people didn’t understand Valmik Thapar,” says Bittu Sahgal, editor of Sanctuary Asia, and a close friend of Thapar’s. “They pre-judged him by his gruff tone, but in truth he was a genius who forcefully spoke truth to power. While Fateh Singh sparked the launch of Sanctuary Asia in 1981, Valmik was the one who opened countless doors, strategised content and remained intrinsic to Sanctuary’s mission to his last breath. He also helped Sanctuary put together India’s first ever series of 16 documentaries screened on Doordarshan, titled ‘Project Tiger’ in the mid 1980s, which had a viewership of 30 million. He will remain a part of Sanctuary’s very soul for all times.”

Thapar also produced and narrated several wildlife documentaries for the likes of National Geographic, BBC, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. One of the earliest and most popular docu-series was ‘Land of the Tiger’, which was released by BBC in 1997 and followed Thapar as he traversed across mangroves, forests, snow-capped mountains and deserts for two seasons, engaging wide-eyed viewers in natural history phenomena.

He wrote 32 books and articles by the dozen, exploring the ecology and behaviour of tigers across northern Indian habitats (such as The Land of the Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent and The Secret Life of Tigers). He also wrote on birdlife (Winged Fire: A Celebration of Indian Birds), other fauna and even his explorations of the African Serengeti.

Sahgal writes admiringly on social media of Thapar’s talent for advocacy, recalling an article penned by the duo in September 1996 titled ‘1,000 Days to Save the Tiger’. At the time, political support for the tiger had died down as the development lens took over, and the big cat was now rampantly being traded for parts. It read: “As we approach the landmark half-century of our Independence it is important that we record for posterity the manner in which our government has virtually escorted the tiger and its associated wild animals towards extinction.”

In 2024, Thapar was diagnosed with cancer in the digestive tract, which ultimately led to his demise. He passed away in his Delhi home, where he lived with his wife, Sanjana Kapoor and son Hamir.

Banner image: Valmik Thapar speaks at the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards held by in Mumbai. Image courtesy of Sanctuary Nature Foundation.