Raised in Bangalore, India, Shree grew up on a leafy campus that felt like a pocket of forest in the middle of the city. His first close encounter with a snake there sparked a lifelong fascination with how these secretive animals survive without limbs and set him on a path toward a life in wildlife.

Grabbing the first chance to immerse himself in nature, Shree moved to the Western Ghats for a six-month ecotourism course, learning field skills and volunteering on king cobra research. Hearing about Taj Safaris in central India, he decided at 19 to turn his passion into a profession. After a rigorous training and selection program run by &Beyond and Taj Safaris, he became one of the company’s youngest naturalists.

Years in the forests of central India only deepened his love for snakes. Some of his happiest moments are rescuing snakes from village homes and seeing local attitudes shift from fear to respect. Along the way he discovered a fondness for birds and now travels across India in search of new species, encouraging guests to notice the birdlife they can enjoy even at home.

Over 17 years of guiding, Shree has helped train more than 60 local guides and many new naturalists while supporting community programs around the parks. Asked about the best part of his work, he says it is beating the sun out of bed each day to share the jungle with guests from around the world.