Rumaan Malhotra
Hi! I am a wildlife biologist who specializes in the spatial ecology of carnivores. My background is in endangered species conservation, although more recently I have been focusing on the ecology of human-tolerant species. I particularly enjoy designing and implementing field experiments. I am currently working as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar as part of my post-doctoral work in the Trans-Himalaya.
My research experience
My work focuses on how human impacts interact in their effects on native carnivores. Most recently my research has been based out of southern Chile, where the carnivore guild exists in a highly altered landscape amid a high density of domestic dogs. I used camera trap surveys across remnant forest patches on privately owned land that comprises the ‘matrix’ between protected areas to determine the drivers of native carnivore space use. Currently I am working with the Nature Conservation Foundation High Altitudes Program,carrying out a movement ecology study of free-ranging dogs in the Trans-Himalayan landscap. The goal is to determine zones of overlap with native carnivores (snow leopards, tibetan wolves, red fox), how that might translate to disease transmission, and what that means for management of dogs.
My research interests
In addition to the use of occupancy models to examine spatial drivers of species distributions, I am especially interested in the growing field of movement ecology, and the opportunities it presents for examining how various threats (such as disease and invasive antagonists) to native species interact.
Outside of research
I am an avid climber and an enthusiastic but mediocre surfer and diver, and have been lucky that I have been able to pursue these interests at the many field sites I have worked at. I enjoy any technical pursuit that involves ropework, and have dabbled to varying degrees in canyoneering, caving, and tree climbing (this last, professionally for conservation and research as well). Whether in the water, on a rope, or in the field, I always have my camera in hand (landscapes are my favorite to photograph, followed by wildlife and astro).