Prajna Chowta is an Indian conservationist, wildlife researcher, writer and filmmaker specialised in the Asian elephant. She is the co-founder and managing trustee of the Aane Mane Foundation, founded in Bangalore, India, in 2000.
Studies and research
Prajna Chowta graduated in 1993 from the School of Oriental and African StudiesSOAS, University of London, with a Masters in anthropology. She spent the last two decades in elephant camps and communities of mahouts in south and north-east India and is one of the rare women mahouts in Asia. Since 1995, she has focused on the migration of Asian elephants on the Indo-Myanmar border; the communities and traditional techniques of mahouts in India and Burma; and the management of elephants in their natural habitat. Since 2011, she developed ElephanTTrackinG, a remote monitoring system for elephants using GPS collars which is currently deployed in India. Prajna Chowta has recently been researching the history of the Andaman elephants.
Early life
Prajna Chowta was born in Ghana, grew up in Nigeria and later in Bombay and Bangalore, India. She is the daughter of D. K. Chowta, a Kannada author and businessman, and the sister of music director Sandeep Chowta.
Chowta P., Gautier P. Hathi, l'éléphant Published by Les 400 Coups, Montreal, Canada
Chowta P. The Old Elephant Route, A Research on Elephant Migration between Myanmar and India, Asian Elephant Conservation Fund Report, Fish & Wildlife Service, Washington D.C., USA
Chowta P. Elephant Code Book, revised by S.S. Bist, R. Sukumar, B.C. Chittiappa, published by Asian Nature Conservation Foundation & Aane Mane Foundation, Bangalore, India
Chowta P., Ledoux S. Enfant d'Eléphants, published by Elytis Editions, France.
Chowta P., A Brief History of the Andaman Elephants, Aane Mane Foundation, India.
The Old Elephant Route directed by Philippe Gautier, written by Prajna Chowta and Philippe Gautier, produced by Les Films d'Ici & GA&A, Discovery Channel, USA.
Elephas Maximus documentary trilogy directed by Philippe Gautier, written by Prajna Chowta and Philippe Gautier, Produced by Les Films d'Ici & 24images, Arte Television, France.
Episode 1: Of Elephants and Men Episode 2: Meetings with Remarkable Animals Episode 3: God and the Elephant
Elephant Blues directed by Philippe Gautier, written by Prajna Chowta and Philippe Gautier, produced by 24images & Les Films d'Ici, France. Distributed by DigiNext, New York City.
