Valmik Thapar, Tiger Crusader, And Outspoken Environmentalist Dies At 73

Photo: Sanctuary Nature Foundation

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI- Valmik Thapar, one of India’s most fearless and influential voices in wildlife conservation, passed away peacefully at his home in Delhi on May 31. He was 73 and had been battling cancer with courage and characteristic resolve.

Known across the world as India’s “Tiger Man,” Thapar spent nearly five decades immersed in the forests of India, dedicating his life to protecting tigers and the fragile ecosystems they inhabit. His work was not only about animals but about the people who shared space with them—an approach that helped redefine conservation in India. Never afraid to speak truth to power, Thapar was a relentless advocate for inviolate habitats, often clashing with bureaucrats and politicians when wildlife was at stake.

Born into a family with deep intellectual and cultural roots, Valmik was the son of renowned journalist Romesh Thapar and the nephew of eminent historian Romila Thapar. His lineage shaped a lifelong commitment to public life, but his path diverged early. A transformative meeting with Fateh Singh Rathore at Ranthambore in 1976 marked the beginning of a deep, almost spiritual, connection with the tiger and its landscape. Under Rathore’s mentorship, Thapar immersed himself in fieldwork, forging bonds with local communities and forest staff, and coming to believe that conservation had to be people-centric to endure.

He founded the Ranthambore Foundation in 1988, which expanded the idea of conservation to include health care, sustainable agriculture, and women’s empowerment in nearly 100 villages around the reserve. His belief that conservation could not exist in isolation led to pioneering work in rewilding, grazing management, and artisan cooperatives—efforts that changed lives and landscapes alike.

Thapar’s influence was not confined to the forest. A prolific author and communicator, he wrote nearly 50 books and created documentaries, including the internationally acclaimed Land of the Tiger for the BBC. His deep, booming voice and rich storytelling brought the mystery of the wild into the public imagination. He was especially known for his long association with Machli, the legendary tigress of Ranthambore, whose life he documented with tenderness and awe, making her a global icon of resilience.

He served on more than 150 government committees and helped shape policy that protected wildlife corridors and parks.

Despite his establishment ties—he was married to actress Sanjana Kapoor of the illustrious Kapoor film dynasty—Thapar remained a rebel at heart. He refused to be silenced, often challenging government inertia and calling out failures in conservation policy. Yet, his fearlessness won him respect across the political spectrum and among tribal communities, scientists, forest guards, and fellow activists.

Valmik Thapar leaves behind a legacy that is hard to measure—countless protected acres, rebounding tiger numbers, and generations of conservationists who walk the path he lit. His family, both Kapoor and Thapar, represents a rare confluence of influence in art, politics, and thought—and Valmik stood at the intersection of it all, using that privilege to protect what he loved most: the wild.

He is survived by his wife Sanjana and their son Hamir, who, in a statement, said: “His inimitable booming voice may have gone silent today, but the fight to save India’s natural treasures that he held so dear will go on.”