People @ GMCF
Dr. Gowri Mallapur, Director
A seasoned veterinarian and passionate herpetologist known for her unwavering commitment to advancing wildlife medicine and conservation. Beginning her career in Mumbai, she practiced small animal medicine until 2008 while actively engaging in wildlife medicine at the Mumbai Zoo, Borivali National Park, and other locations. She founded a reptile rescue center in Mumbai and worked at Uttara’s ARC, a wild animal rescue center in Katraj, Pune.
Dr. Mallapur holds a Master's degree in Veterinary Sciences (Parasitology) from the Bombay Veterinary College and a Diploma in Sustainable Development and Natural History Management from the Ecological Society, Pune. She has also completed a year-long course in basic herpetology from the Bombay Natural History Society. She is an invited member of the IUCN SSC Crocodile Specialist Group and serves as the Co-Vice Chair of the Veterinary Thematic Group. Her primary interests include wildlife health, population dynamics, and health-related interventions in both wild and zoo environments, as well as biodiversity conservation and sustainable living projects.
Dr. Mallapur's previous positions include Veterinary Consultant at the Central Zoo Authority and Subject Matter Specialist (Veterinary Health Management) for a project titled "Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation" under the Wildlife Institute of India and the National Mission for Clean Ganga, focusing on the conservation, rescue, and rehabilitation of aquatic macro-fauna. She also served as Director/Veterinarian at The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust/Centre for Herpetology and its associated projects.
Lakshminarasimha R, Director (Research & Conservation)
Lakshminarasimha R. is an expert in animal behavior, quantitative biology, and conservation-oriented captive propagation of wild animals. With a deep commitment to conservation biology, he has significant experience in wildlife monitoring, especially birds and pheasants in situ.
Lakshminarasimha has held several prominent positions, including Assistant Curator at Mysore Zoo for four years, Research Fellow at the Wildlife Institute of India, Zoo Biologist with the Wildlife Wing of Himachal Pradesh for five years, and Scientific Officer at the Central Zoo Authority for five years. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Conservation Leadership Grant and is a member of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group.
Notable achievements in his career include leading reintroduction projects for Western Tragopan and Cheer Pheasant in Himachal Pradesh and establishing linkages between conservation breeding programs and in situ conservation. He has co-led bird ringing and monitoring capacity-building workshops in collaboration with the HP Forest Department and GWCT, UK since 2014. His expertise extends to designing and executing animal behavior studies, husbandry of various taxa, particularly birds, primates, carnivores, and reptiles, enclosure design, and environmental enrichment for captive animals.
Lakshminarasimha has formulated feeding regimes and possesses working knowledge of Zootrition. He has experience in artificial incubation and hand-rearing of bird eggs and carnivore/parrot chicks, as well as national and intercontinental animal transport. Proficient in ZIMS, SPARKS, and PMx, he has also been involved in zoo master planning, conservation breeding program management, and population management plan formulation. Additionally, he has prepared species recovery plans and organized training and outreach programs. He has expertise in tagging birds with radio tagging and post-release monitoring. His skills in ecological statistics and professional knowledge of ArcGIS and R Statistical Program are also notable.