As a child, Dino Sharma loved the outdoors. He was fascinated with rivers, mangrove swamps, forests and beaches. He had many pets such as birds, turtles and fish. Although the word ‘conservation’ was not yet in his vocabulary, even then, he sensed that one day he would be involved in protecting animals from human destruction.
Since 1990 he has worked for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). He is the Senior Head of the Animal Species Conservation Unit. He plans and manages conservation projects in Peninsular Malaysia. Part of his job includes training graduates in conservation biology and identifying priority species for conservation. Today, Dino is living out his childhood passion.
Dino has had many interesting moments in the wild but one incident stands out in his memory. One night, he watched eighteen leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Dino remained with one of them throughout her nesting process. She was majestic, calm and focused, posing no threat to anyone.
Dino was overcome with sadness on reflecting that human beings were eating her eggs and destroying her habitat. That night, a special bonding took place between man and creature. In Dino’s own words, ‘ I vowed to do all I could to help her and other marine turtles survive well into the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment