Murthy Kantimahanti

Associate

Education

M.Sc. Zoology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India.

B.Sc. Zoology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India.

Murthy Kantimahanti is the founder and lead conservation biologist for the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society (EGWS). He founded the non-profit with an aim to protect the lesser-known and neglected wildlife of the Eastern Ghats landscape in South India. Murthy is an alumnus of Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders, which is a collaborative project between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Network, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and White Oak Conservation Center, designed to build capacity for international conservation of wildlife within existing conservation organizations and entities.

Murthy works closely with local communities throughout the region, especially outside the protected areas where negative human-wildlife interactions occur, monitoring and providing education and intervention strategies. His current conservation efforts focus on developing a comprehensive understanding of the biogeographical distribution of the four species of small wild cats (the Fishing Cat, the Jungle Cat, the Leopard Cat and the Rusty-spotted Cat) in the Eastern Ghats region and the implications of various human-induced activities on their survival to implement appropriate threat-reduction programs.

Another of his major efforts around his projects includes promoting awareness among local people living in towns/villages and positively engaging them in conservation efforts through capacity-building measures not only to monitor wildlife populations but also document any threats to their survival in unclassified forest areas. In many areas, Murthy trains volunteers and engages part-time research assistants, building capacity among local communities to become empowered stakeholders in the conservation of their wildlife.

Publications

K.L.N.Murthy, V.Srinivas and Rahul Pandey, A note on Escherichia coli infection and treatment in Dholes (Cuon alpinus) at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam. ISSN 0971-6378, ZOOS’ PRINT, Volume XXIII, Number3, March 2008(RNI 9:6) Pg.1-2

P.S. Rajasekhar and K.L.N.Murthy., A note on olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) mortalities at Thikkavanipalem beach in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. ISSN 0973-1695, Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter, Issue-7, January 2008. Pg 22-23.

Rahul Pandey, P.S. Rajasekhar and K.L.N.Murthy., Avifauna in and around the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Newsletter for Bird watchers, Vol.48. No.1, January-February 2008.Pg 3-4.

Rahul Pandey and K.L.N.Murthy, Studies on Asiatic wild dog Cuon alpinus in captivity at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam. ISSN 0971-6378, ZOOS’ PRINT, Volume XXIII, Number 8, August 2008 (RNI 9:11) Pg.14-15

P.S Rajasekhar, Rahul Pandey and K.L.N.Murthy, Avifauna of Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. ISSN 0973-1407, INDIAN BIRDS Vol. 4 No.5 (September – October 2008)

K.L.N.Murthy, The importance of zoo research in captive management and conservation breeding of endangered species in Indian zoos. ISSN 0971-6378, ZOOS’ PRINT, Volume XXIII, Number 7, July 2008 (RNI 9:10) Pg. 1-2

K.L.N Murthy, Importance of zoos in captive breeding and conservation of endangered species in India, CEENERGY 1 (23 September, 2009) –an e-newsletter of CEE – Centre for Environment Education, Thaltej Tekra, Ahmedabad – 380 054.

K.L.N Murthy, Can the whistling hunters be successfully reintroduced into Indian jungles? ISSN 0971-6378, ZOOS’ PRINT, Volume XXIV, Number 11, November 2009, (RNI 11:2).

K.L.N Murthy & K.V Ramana Murthy, Dead King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah found near Srikakulam in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. ISSN: 2230-7079 REPTILE RAP, No.10, June 2010. Pg.27-28.

K.L.N Murthy, Kambalakonda reserve forest – a habitat for Barking deer, Mouse deer and Indian Pangolin. ISSN: 0974-2336 THE EASTERN GHATS – EPTRI-ENVIS Newsletter Vol.16, No.2. 2010. Pg. 3-5.

K.L.N Murthy & Satyanarayan Mishra, A note on road killing of Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata Gray at Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary of Eastern Ghat ranges. ISSN 2230-7087 Small Mammal Mail, Volume 2, Number 2, Jul-Dec 2010; Pg. 8-10

K.L.N Murthy & K.V Ramana Murthy, Mass mortality of Lepidochelys olivacea observed at Kottapeta beach in Srikakulam along east coast of Andhra Pradesh, India. ISSN 0973-1695, INDIAN OCEAN TURTLE NEWSLETTER, Issue-14, July 2011. Pg 15-17.

K.L.N Murthy & K.V Ramana Murthy, Sightings of King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah in Northern Coastal Andhra Pradesh. ISSN: 2230-7079 REPTILE RAP, No.14, June 2012. Pg.29-32.

K.L.N Murthy & K.V Ramana Murthy, Recent Sightings of the Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1757) on the Coast of Northern Andhra Pradesh, India. ISSN: 2278-7666 ASIAN JOURNAL OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Vol.1 No.1, 2012, pg.42-44.

G.Ramalingam & K.L.N Murthy, Successful Breeding of Asiatic Wild Dogs at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam. ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXIX, Number 10 October 2014.

Naidu A., Kantimahanti M., Kumar N.P., Thompson K. Sreedhar S.S. and Rao A. 2015. Recent records of fishing cat and its conservation in coastal South India. IUCN Cat News 62, 7-9.

Kantimahanti, M., Schulz, K-D.& Sharma, V. New locality records of Coelognathus helena cf. Monticollaris (Schulz, 1992) from Andhra Pradesh, India. SAURIA, Volume-37, Issue-4, December 2015. Pg. 71-74

Kantimahanti, M. 2016. Community-based Fishing Cat conservation in the Eastern Ghats of South India. In: A. Appel and J. W. Duckworth (eds), Proceedings of the First International Fishing Cat Conservation Symposium, 25–29 November 2015, Nepal. Fishing Cat Working Group, Bad Marienberg, Germany and Saltford, Bristol, United Kingdom. Pp. 51–54.

Kantimahanti, M. and Surampudi, A. 2016. Small wild cats in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India. Small Wild Cat Conservation News 2: 7.

Kantimahanti, M & Allaparthy, A. Rao 2017. Records of Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata (Geoffroy,1826) from the Krishna River Delta of South India. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin 34(1) 2017, 58-62.