Nearly four years ago, Syed Hafeez spent more than two months in police stations and animal rehabilitation centres for transporting an elephant illegally to Bengaluru. That incident brought about a major change in him. He abandoned the life of a mahout, which was his family occupation, and began charting a new course. Now, the 25-year-old is laying the foundation for a career dedicated to research and conservation.
The trigger for the change happened in May 2013 when he, along with his father, were transporting an elephant from Sadguru Basavraj Deshi Kendra, a mutt in Airani in Haveri district, to Bengaluru for the extravagant wedding of a jewellery store owner’s son.
They were booked for transporting an elephant without documents.
“They were treated almost like criminals. When I found out that Hafeez had dropped out of a Bachelors in Science course, I asked why he wanted to tend to elephants when he had a bright future in academics,” said Sharath Babu, then a honorary wildlife warden.
The incident seemed to have had a deep impact on Hafeez who feared that he could never shed the tag of being a law-breaker.
On returning to Haveri, Hafeez told his father that he would resume his BSc. course, much to the chagrin of his family who have been the traditional mahouts of the mutt. “I ran away from home and worked as a helper in a goods truck for two months until friends loaned me some money so that I could rejoin my course,” he says.
He passed with distinction and, despite opposition from his family, pursued a Masters in Biochemistry from Kuvempu University. Along the way, he won grants from the State government for numerous research projects, including one on snake biodiversity and positive impact of banana and bamboo on kidneys.
Having grown amidst elephants, he has shared his experience and tried to help communities in areas facing man-animal conflict. After a stint as an outreach coordinator for the Forest Department, where he attempted to create awareness about forest biodiversity and sustainable use, he has applied for a doctoral degree in Germany or Switzerland.
