The Journey
About me
Dhruv Patil is a 20-year-old child prodigy studying
hotel and tourism management (BSc) at New
York University, New York. He is a professional
wildlife photographer featured by BBC and Nikon.
He is a certified UNESCO member, and the
founder of an NGO whose work is featured by
TOI, NDTV, International Business Times, Indian
express, etc.
My Purpose
Everyday I am grateful to witness the rarest wildlife and to think that my generation and the next might be the last to see these incredible creatures, unless I and the people of my generation and the next take action to protect these jungles. I use photography as a medium to tell stories about these magnificent personas I have met over the years with the hope that I convince more people to fall in love and care for the wild.
The Origins
My story began, in 2011 when I was 8-years-old and my mother handed me her point and shoot camera. Me and a couple like-minded friends did daily excursions to Sankey Tank in Bangalore to photograph egrets and cormorants which were exotic to an urban photographer.
SPPA
SPPA began as a school club by two friends and I. The compassion began after the story of a dog I rescued when I was a mere 8-year-old spread like wildfire in young minds who all wanted to join our mission. SPPA over the years has evolved with a volunteer base of over 4000, over 15,000 animals impacted, over 1.5 crore trees planted.
The Camera
In 2013, I was exposed to the magnificent forest of Kabini, India, with my mother’s point-and-shoot Nikon. A discovery that transformed and defined my whole persona. To feel like Mowgli amidst the real Jungle Book, is still an unparalleled feeling. In 2017, after getting my hands on a DSLR, I expanded territories into Africa where I was able to capture the African Big 5.
Blackbucks
On August 9th, 2022, Dhruv called for a press meet where Dhruv showcased the undiscovered biodiversity of Vijayapur. Unheard of before, Dhruv found around 300 blackbucks grazing amidst vineyards and fields near Vijayapur. He requested the government to form a community reserve to protect these blackbucks from poachers and road accidents. The incredible teaser created by Dhruv made headlines across the country showcasing the biodiversity of Vijayapur to the entire country.
Black Panther
After 5 years of wait, and over 125 trips and 9000 minutes on safari in the panther’s territory, Dhruv finally managed to photograph the most elusive black panther of Kabini. Dhruv made headlines across the world with his
photograph, as an ode to his perseverance as an 18-year-old who dedicated his life to documenting the phantom. BBC Earth in 2022 also featured his
photograph of the black panther.
UNESCO
In 2022, Dhruv became a child prodigy when he was invited as an expert lecturer to the esteemed UNESCOxUNITWIN panel under the life sciences chair. Dhruv gave a lecture on ‘Uniting Camera and Conservation’ to pioneers and professors across 26 different countries. Dhruv remains as a Distinguished Expert under the UNESCO network which is phenomenal feat for his age.
Feed-the-strays
Dhruv kickstarted a campaign called Feed the Strays with a mission to feed stray animals which depended on discards during the covid lockdown. 6000+ animals
12 cities 800 Kgs of food This campaign involved SPPA members from Dubai, Cairo, Bangalore, Mangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Bellary, Mysore, Mandya, Hubli, Bagalkot, and Tumakuru. One of SPPA’s most successful campaigns to which Dhruv
himself contributed about 400 kilos of rice and fed stray animals across Bijapur and Bagalkot everyday for 2 months.
Awareness
In 2019, SPPA became a registered NGO and to kick off the campaigns, Dhruv organized one of the world’s largest rural-awareness programs where over 4700 students from 16 villages learned about global warming, climate, change, and how they can make a difference as an individual. The motive behind the event was the flamingo migration which was being disturbed by farmers in Vijayapur and students in villages have no access to information about global warming, urbanization, and wildlife conservation. Creating dialogue especially at a young age is crucial for co-existence and conservation. In 2023, chapter 2 of rural awareness programs took place where over 800 students attended the awareness program and took a pledge to protect the environment.
Afforestation
“One of the greatest experiences I have had outside the forest is being able to assist and supervise one of the largest afforestation projects in the world. 15 million or 1.5 crore trees is a dream number that the Vruksha Abhiyan team turned into reality.”
The goal was to increase the green cover of Vijayapur district from 0.17% and within 5 years and 1 crore trees the team with the incredible forest department increased to 0.24%. A huge achievement for the state of Karnataka and India.
