• SHARE

TBT main menu

  • Countries
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Singapore
    • Thailand
  • Travel Inspiration
    • Culture and Craft
    • Nature and Wilderness
    • Rural and Rustic
    • Sun and Sea
    • Weekend of Good
  • Stories
    • Journey
    • Meet
    • Weekend of Good
    • COVID-19 In Transit
  • Experiences
    • Eat
    • Shop
    • Do
    • Stay
  • Login
  • Sign up

TBT main menu

  • Countries
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Singapore
    • Thailand
  • Travel Inspiration
    • Culture and Craft
    • Nature and Wilderness
    • Rural and Rustic
    • Sun and Sea
    • Weekend of Good
  • Stories
    • Journey
    • Meet
    • Weekend of Good
    • COVID-19 In Transit
  • Experiences
    • Eat
    • Shop
    • Do
    • Stay
  • MEET

'We want to eliminate the harm being caused by unregulated tourism.'

  • India
  • West Bengal

Shantanu Prasad

Habre's Nest

Shantanu is the director and project head of Habre's Nest, a wildlife travel enterprise on a mission to protect the red panda. 

“I’ve had four years of experience in this region before we set up Habre’s Nest here in Kaiakata. Under the parent organisation Forest Dwellers, Habre’s Nest was our first project which is also rooted in sustainable tourism around rare species. While the red panda is our flagship animal, our intention is to protect the entire habitat. We undertake work where work is required but not enough is being done.

We decided to base our interventions here in Singalila because the belt extending from Nepal to the Indian states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh onwards to Bhutan, Myanmar, and China, is the best remaining habitat for red pandas in the wild. Singalila can be considered the epicentre of red panda distribution and could play a vital role in enabling the fragments to connect.

We chose Kaiakata even though the weather can be harsh at times because the views are unobstructed and it is surrounded by greenery on the Nepal and Indian side of the border which increases the probability of sighting the red panda.

We've captured more than 4,000 photographs of wild red pandas over a period of four years through tourism and achieved 98 per cent sighting of the red panda for our guests since 2016.

Our goal is to assign this area the status of a red panda reserve, which would aid with conservation while continuing to track and document red pandas and hosting tourists who might be inspired to do something on their own. We want to continue working with government authorities towards improved regulation within and around the national park to minimise and eventually, eliminate the harm being caused by unregulated tourism.”

Read more about Habre's Nest here.  

Article contributors
Writer & Photographer
Elita Almeida
Writer & Photographer
Stuti Bhadauria

Related topic

  • India
  • Meet
  • Wildlife
  • Nature and Wilderness
  • Eco-tourism
  • Community-based Tourism
  • Mountain highs
  • Hiking and Camping
  • Stay
  • Do

Get inspired

Curious as to how to be a better traveller?
Sign up for ideas for your next travel adventure!

We tell stories of everyday people doing good in Asia, to inspire action. Through The Better Traveller, you can dive into our travel stories and share ideas on how to make a difference on the go.

Country

  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Thailand

Stories

  • Journey
  • Meet
  • Weekend of Good

Experiences

  • Do
  • Eat
  • Shop
  • Stay

Travel Inspiration

  • Culture and Craft
  • Nature and Wilderness
  • Rural and Rustic
  • Sun and Sea
  • Weekend of Good

TBT FAQ

  • FAQ

TBT Terms

  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright@2023 Our Better World, the digital storytelling initiative of the Singapore International Foundation , which brings world communities together to do good. Our Better World is not a travel agent, and we do not get commission from your enquiries or bookings.