A Wild Stance

When I first heard about Anjali Watson, co-founder of the wilderness & wildlife conservation trust in Sri Lanka, my interest was piqued. Here was a lady who pushed forward despite the obstacles that stood in her way and followed a passion that was resoundingly different – a path perusing research and preservation of one of our beloved species, the leopard. Anjali spilled all on the nitty-gritty of the leopard project, what it takes to make it in a field that is far from glamorous and what it took to get here.

- Shihaam Hassanali

Ecology was what Anjali always wanted to pursue at university, but since an undergraduate in this area did not exist at the time in the early 90s, she did environmental studies with a focus on ecology. Intrigued by her experiences as a child, where she had the opportunity to visit national parks and spend time outdoors, Anjali took what was second nature to her and ran with it. “I always loved animals and knew I wanted to eventually do something related to them. When I came back from university, I could’ve worked on an elephant project, but there was a funding issue. Instead, I got on a local primate project and also signed up to do something similar in South America together with my partner and now husband, Andrew Kittle,” she shared. Upon returning, Anjali realized that not much work had been done on leopards, and knew it was very necessary. So, together with Andrew, she started The Leopard Project in 2000 and conducted the first of many undertakings in Yala.