At a time when rapid urbanisation and biodiversity loss are threatening wildlife, the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation (TWF), founded by Tejas Thackeray in 2019, has documented 116 species new to science across India, Nepal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.

Of these, 104 were discovered in India, with findings spanning the Western Ghats, Indo-Burma and several states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Rajasthan. Despite having a team of just 13 members, the Mumbai-based organisation has emerged as a leading wildlife research and conservation group.  Thackeray said the foundation’s work extends beyond discovering new species.