Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, India.
0135-2646332
prashant20 [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in
About
I am a wildlife ecologist, holding a master's degree in Wildlife Science from Aligarh Muslim University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Zoology (H) from Delhi University. My dissertation study focused on human-carnivore conflict, wherein I examined the ecological factors governing kill site selection by large carnivores, particularly leopard. Post that, I completed a project on the ecology of wolves in Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary with Tiger Watch. Subsequently, I joined the Wildlife Institute of India with the All India Tiger Estimation project. In the past four years my focus has been on studying the ecology of large mammals in India, with a particular emphasis on wolf, tiger, leopard, elephant, and rhesus macaque.
For my Ph.D. I shifted my focus to the ecology of mesocarnivores, for which I was awarded the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF). I received Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research (FNDR) fellowship for a Ph.D. exchange programme at the University of Washington, USA. I joined the Wildlife Institute of India as a Scientist C in September 2023.
Academic Positions
September 2023 - Present : Scientist - C at Wildlife Institute of India
Education
B.Sc. Zoology (H), University of Delhi (DU): From 2013 to 2026
M.Sc. Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU): From 2016 to 2018
Research Interest
Carnivore Ecology
Predator-prey interactions
Fear ecology
Population ecology and human-animal interactions
Publications
Published peer-reviewed papers
Ram, M., Sahu, A., Srivastava, N., Mahajan, P., Baraiya, S., Dagur, T., & Jhala, L. (2025). Decoding scent-marking behavior of Asiatic lions in Gir Forest, Gujarat, India. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 13, 1523653.
Mahajan, P., Khandal, D., Dhakad, M., & Rasal, V. (2024). A dog-eat-dog world: predation and resource acquisition by free-ranging dogs around Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India. Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 36(5), 572-582.
Mahajan, P., Chaudhary, R., and Kazi, A. & Khandal, D. 2022. Spatial determinants of livestock depredation and human attitude towards wolves in Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 10:855084. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.855084
Mahajan, P., Khandal, D. & Chandrawal, K. 2021. Factors Influencing Habitat-Use of Indian Grey Wolf in the Semiarid Landscape of Western India. Mammal Study 47(1): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3106/ms2021-0029
Mahajan, P. & Khandal, D. 2021. Preliminary status of the Indian grey wolf in Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India. Canid Biology & Conservation 23(3): 8-14. http://www.canids.org/CBC/23/Indian_wolf_Rajasthan.pdf
Book Chapter
Mahajan, P. & Khan, A. 2022. Ecological drivers of livestock depredation by large predators. In: Case studies of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in India, eds. O. Ilyas and A. Khan. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Pp. 127-141[Contributed Book chapter].
Technical Report
Sharma, S., Nasir, M., Muliya, S.K., Kutappa, T.C., Chetan, C.M., Mahajan, P., Karanjkar, A., Prakash, H, Kolipakam, V., Kawlni, L. & Qureshi, Q. (2023). Movement Ecology, Home Range and Habitat-use of Radio-collared elephants. In: Qureshi, Q., Muliya, S. K., Kawlni, L., Kolipakam, V., Gusain, P., Hussain, K., Jhala, Y.V. (2023), Population management of species involved in human wildlife conflict, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun 248001. TR No/2023/14.
Mahajan, P. and Khandal, D. 2019. Assessing the ecological status of Indian grey wolf with a focus on anthropogenic interactions in Kailadevi Wildlife sanctuary. Tiger Watch: A report submitted to Forest Department. Tiger Watch, Sherpur Khiljipur, Rajasthan, India.
Selected List of Popular Articles
Prashant Mahajan (May, 2022). On the Wolf trail. Research in Translation. Current Conservation.
Prashant Mahajan & Juno Negi (October, 2020). Locus in Focus: One Scientist’s Story About Navigating in the Wild. NDTV Gadgets 360⁰ (Science Features).
Prashant Mahajan (October, 2020). A Ballad for the Wolves. Sanctuary Asia Magazine.
Amee Mehta, Ashish Agarwal, Prashant Mahajan & Shahzada Iqbal (September, 2018), Palamau Tiger Reserve: Handling the injured Jackal an experience, Me and My Earth, Vol. 2, Issue-8, pp: 46-48.
Selected List of Conference Talks and Posters
Mahajan, P., Khandal, D. 2023. Interspecific interactions and co-existence among canids in the semi-arid landscape of western India. EURING Analytical Meeting & Workshop, Montpellier, France, pp. 42.
Mahajan, P., Khandal, D. 2021. Examining the socio-ecological drivers of human-wolf conflict using occupancy models. International Congress for Conservation Biology.
Mahajan, P., Khan, A. 2019. Ecological Factors Governing Livestock Depredation by Tiger (Panthera tigris) and Leopard (Panthera pardus) at the Northern Periphery of Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India. International Conservation Conference, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, pp. 58.
Mahajan, P., Khandal, D., Chandrawal, K. 2019. Examining Ecological and Anthropological Correlates of Indian Grey Wolf Habitat-Use in the Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan. SCCS, Bengaluru, pp. 13.
Dr. Prashant Mahajan
Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, India.
0135-2646332
prashant20 [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in