So Gautam Shah, National Geographic explorer and founder of Internet of Elephants, created a new way of conservation — playing games to save wildlife.
The games can be downloaded for free: Wildeverse, much like Pokemon Go, could see you running through the streets of Nairobi or New York trying to find a gorilla; on Safari Central you can take a photograph with your favourite wild animal, like a pangolin, curled up in bed with you; or participate in Run Wild, a fitness campaign with Adidas to run with Uuliin the snow leopard in the mountains of Mongolia.
Dr. Rafael Mares - data scientist and wildlife biologist for Internet of Elephants: PHOTO | COURTESY | GAUTAM SHAH
Keen-eyed with an easy demeanour, Shah, in his forties, was born and raised in Chicago, US.
Chatting with children between the ages of six and 13 on a recent National Geographic online class, Shah and his team answered questions on everything from how to produce a video game using augmented reality, to programming, and what his favourite animal is.
Shah has travelled the world to watch animals in their natural habitats, trekking in the rain forests of central Africa to see chimpanzees and gorillas, and in Asia for orangutans and gibbons.
