Valmik Thapar, a renowned wildlife conservationist and author, died in New Delhi on Saturday. He was 73 and was diagnosed with cancer in 2024.

Thapar was involved with efforts to protect wild tigers, particularly in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park, for nearly five decades.

In 1987, he co-founded the Ranthambhore Foundation to integrate local communities into conservation efforts and later collaborated with the non-profit Dastkar to help displaced villagers earn a livelihood.

Thapar also served as a member of more than 150 government panels and task forces, including the National Board for Wildlife and the Tiger Task Force, which was set up in the face of tigers disappearing from Rajasthan’s Sariska. In a dissenting note, he had warned the task force against the coexistence of humans and tigers.

In his 2012 book, Tiger My Life, Ranthambhore and Beyond, Thapar had described his mission as one that involved creating “inviolate spaces” for tigers, where they could “live free, away from noise, away from humans”.

He was a vocal advocate for stricter anti-poaching laws.

Thapar was also an author and filmmaker. He wrote and edited more than 30 books, including Land of the Tiger and Tiger Fire, and co-produced a BBC documentary series titled Land of the Tiger.

Expressing condolences to Thapar’s family, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he was “deeply saddened to learn about the passing of noted conservationist”.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Thapar’s death was a “great loss”.

“Today’s Ranthambore, particularly, is a testimony to his deep commitment and indefatigable zeal,” said Ramesh. “He was uncommonly knowledgeable on a variety of issues relating to biodiversity and not a day passed during my Ministerial tenure without our talking to each other – with me almost always at the receiving end.”

Conservation biologist Neha Sinha called him “the international voice of Indian tigers for many many years”.

Author and wildlife conservationist Nirmal Ghosh said that Thapar has left “a lasting legacy as a global spokesman for the tiger”.

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