Nagarathna Balakrishna
Student Researcher—La Mananara Site
Nagarathna is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at The Ohio State University. Her research investigates how ecotourism and habitat structure influence the behavior, cortisol levels, and parasitism of the Critically Endangered indri (Indri indri). She compares groups in a secondary disturbed forest at Mitsinjo, adjacent to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, with those in a relatively undisturbed, pristine forest at La Mananara in the Anjozorobe-Angavo Protected Area.
An early-career conservationist, Nagarathna has prior experience working with Indian primates such as bonnet macaques and Nilgiri langurs, as well as insects like butterflies. She has received multiple grants, including the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation Seed Research Grant, the Primate Conservation Inc. Grant, the Re:wild Lemur Grant, and several research and travel grants from the Department of Anthropology at OSU. She has presented her work at numerous conferences and meetings, including the Association of Indian Primatologists, the Midwest Primate Interest Group, the American Association of Biological Anthropologists, and the International Primatological Society.
Nagarathna earned her B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Botany, and Zoology from St. Aloysius College in Mangalore, India, in 2017, and her M.Sc. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from Pondicherry University, India, in 2019.
Q&A with nagarath
What draws you to a career in wildlife conservation?
This might sound cliché, but like many others in the field, I was drawn to wildlife conservation by the work of Jane Goodall and David Attenborough. Growing up, I watched countless Animal Planet and National Geographic documentaries, becoming instantly fascinated by the natural world, especially primate behavior. At first, I wanted to study primates for very anthropocentric reasons, but I soon realized that they merit study in their own right, simply for their existence and the importance of protecting them for future generations.
Who or what inspires you?
Jane Goodall inspired me to pursue primatology. The natural world and its wonders, and how little we truly know about them, continue to inspire me and fill me with awe.
Is there a book has influenced you or made a strong impression?
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin and The Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.
What is your favorite food?
I love Indian cuisine! It’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to choose, I’d go with paneer butter masala and ghee rice. I also have a soft spot for a Mangalorean sweet called arashina ele gatti or turmeric leaf-steamed dumplings that my mom makes. I’m from Mangalore, in the southern state of Karnataka, so it’s a taste of home for me.
What is your favorite movie?
Perfect Days.
What is one of the coolest experiences you’ve had in your work?
For my master’s thesis, I studied a group of Nilgiri langurs, a species endemic to southern India, in a disturbed habitat within Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. One late afternoon, after I completed a scan sample, I was observing the group, particularly an adult female with a newborn infant. She handed her infant to one of the subadult females in the group so she could forage freely without the challenge of carrying her newborn. The subadult gladly took on the responsibility, moving about casually while the infant clung to her. After a long feeding session, the mother waited for the subadult to return her infant. The exchange took place on a large branch of Cullenia exarillata, about 20 meters above the ground. Just as the subadult was handing the infant back, it accidentally slipped from her grasp and fell roughly 20 meters. I gasped, pulled the binoculars from my eyes, and froze. Instantly, the mother rushed down the tree, scooped up her infant, and held it tightly to her chest. I quickly looked through my binoculars again, and there was movement! The infant was alive. Every member of the group, including the adult male, other mothers, one-year-old infants, and a juvenile, had stopped to watch the entire ordeal. The memory of that transfer, the terrifying fall, and the immediate rescue has stayed with me ever since.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
New Zealand, for its picturesque landscapes, culture, and unique wildlife.
Besides lemurs, what is one of your favorite animals, and why?
Within the primate order, my favorite species is the bonnet macaque, for its highly versatile behavior and remarkable adaptability. Outside of primates, I would choose elephants for their intelligence and complex social lives.
Why do you care about Madagascar and its wildlife?
When I first visited Madagascar in the summer of 2024 for a pilot study, I fell in love with its biodiversity, landscapes, and the Malagasy people. Like India, where I am from, Madagascar has remarkable diversity and endemicity, yet this natural heritage is under threat from anthropogenic pressures. Without a deeper understanding of this natural history, we cannot truly grasp how much there is to protect and preserve for the future. For this reason, I deeply care about Madagascar’s wildlife and feel incredibly lucky to be working in one of the world’s hottest biodiversity hotspots, contributing, at least in some capacity, to its protection. Beyond its rich biodiversity, what has moved me most is the will of the local people to protect their wildlife and landscapes. Despite persistent challenges, their commitment to conservation and sustainability shines through, inspiring me to contribute to this resilience.