KMChinnappa with a group of Panchayat Members in Bandipur

Chinnappa’s was a hard act to follow. In a department where siphoning of funds from tasks such as civil construction, raising nurseries, planting and so on was the norm, he took no cuts. While his colleagues secured their financial futures, during his three-decade-long career in the forest department, Chinnappa had no time even to take care for the five acre coffee farm that he inherited, although it was right outside Nagarahole. He exemplified the finest elements among the trench warriors who recovered India’s wildlife from virtual extirpation during the 70s and 80s. Many of his peers tried to follow his example. But few could stay the course like he did for three decades, against all odds.