‘Sharks are surprisingly timid unless you disturb them’

How many of us could be that lucky to be living our dream life? Or let’s rephrase it! How many of us could be that lucky to find our calling early in life and also have the courage to take the right steps to pursue it!

Meet Harshul Thareja, a wildlife biologist currently pursuing his post-graduation from National Center for Biological Sciences in Bangalore. 

He is an Apeejay International School,  Greater Noida alumnus, who has just come back after spending 5 months in Lakshadweep. With a massive research on fishes and corals, that needed him to scuba dive, Harshul is presently super busy analysing his data and writing his thesis. Catching him finally after months of field work, we learn about the work of a wildlife biologist and the steps required to follow in his footsteps. 

Harshul, your job requires a lot of field work! But tell us how a day in the field actually looks like?

It all depends on what research I am doing, whether it is terrestrial research or marine research. I was recently doing marine research, so I will share my experience from then. 

In the morning we would hire a fishing boat and leave for work. Most of our research was under water and we had dive certifications, so we had to scuba dive and collect data. I was looking at fish behavior in terms of their feeding habits, how much algae they consume and I also observed the behaviour of corals.

 In terrestrial research however, it varies if one is working on plants or animals. In the case of plants, those working on microbes collect various soil samples, in epiphytes, one looks for them in trees. In the case of carnivores like big cats, my professor Uma researches them, so she looks at population connectivity and dynamics through genetics. One has to collect samples of their poop and then sequence and analyse it.

Yours is such a cool profession! Scuba diving and even spending time in the forest!

Yes, it is really fun! Six months of the year I am outdoors but in the latter six months, I have to sit in front of a laptop, analyse all the data and write it. So, not so much fun in the second half (laughs)

You were recently researching in Lakshadweep. Do tell us about your work there?

I was there at Lakshadweep for 5 months. And I must tell you that the coral reefs are incredible. However with the recent bleaching disaster, colourful reefs have turned white and there is high mortality in corals. 

But my research was on group formation in herbivore species. I had to understand why they were forming groups and what it meant for the ecosystem. So, there is a group of fishes called Groupers, which are predatory. Depending on the lunar cycle, hundreds of these fishes gather in one spot to reproduce. It was incredible to see that phenomenon,, And I also saw sharks up close, that was incredible too (laughs).

Weren’t you scared of sharks, isn’t this an occupational hazard?

Sharks are surprisingly timid unless they are agitated. And we didn’t see very big sharks. They were about two meters only.

Oh! Quite a relief! So, did you discover your calling at the school?

Yes! So, my younger brother also studied in the same school. He was given a holiday homework to visit a nearby bird sanctuary. I was in class 7 then and my brother was in class 4. The entire family went to Surajpur Bird Sanctuary as part of this project. That trip introduced me to my destiny. 

Then, I began studying on this subject. I remember, our former school Principal Yashika ma’am also introduced me to a few bird watchers. 

And how were the Apeejay Greater Noida days?

Those were the days man!  I loved school and enjoyed every bit there. I really feared Sanskrit (laughs) and loved Biology and Physics. School days were the best days for me and some of my best friends are from there. The teachers were so supportive and it was like a big family.

 One thing that makes you fall in love with your profession?

The fact that being outdoors, you realise there is so much we don’t know of, what’s going out there in nature. It is sad to see the condition of our ecosystem degrading rapidly.

Do share with us, one advice for being eco-friendly?

The indigenous community of people who have lived at a certain place for centuries are the reservoir of ancient knowledge. When we city people go to their place for a retreat, we must respect their style of living, there is a lot of wisdom in their ways. 

From how to interact with nature and how much to extract from the ecosystem and of course the unsaid informal rules of that ecosystem, there’s so much to be mindful of and learn from them. One must respect them. 

So what career steps should a student take to become a wildlife biologist like you?

See, there is no one definite step to be a wildlife biologist. I took Science, studied Biology, did my graduation in zoology and then am here. But some of my colleagues did engineering or became medical doctors and then changed their field. 

I would just say focus on critical thinking and asking the right questions. Rest one learns along the way. Also get in touch with people who are in the field you want to be in. Oftentimes we hesitate asking people for guidance. People are surprisingly open and willing to help, that’s what I have learned through my journey. 

Lastly, key skill required to be in your field?

Curiosity –  If you are curious enough, you will find a way!

 Patience – A lot of times things go wrong on the field, things don’t go as per the plan but being patient and creative by improvising does all the trick.