Zoological Survey of India, one of the leading institutions engaged in the taxonomic studies of animals, had his first wife as director. Dhriti Banerjee, an entomologist specializing in Diptera, became the institute's 18th director for 105 years on August 6. Based in Kolkata, ZSI has 16 regional centres and around 300 scientists.
Dr Banerjee heads the ZSI Animal Information System, which provides multidimensional information on housing, collections, spatial and temporal data, as well as genetic and molecular information about animals.
“When I joined the institute in the late 1990s, the number of women scientists at ZSI was around 24%. This number has increased considerably and reached 40% under the impetus of the Ministry of the Environment, Forests and Climate Change. My appointment is a sign that women scientists are valued by policymakers, ”she said.
Dr Banerjee told the media that she will not only try to carry on ZSI's 105-year legacy but also take it to the next level in light of new technology and artificial intelligence.
“Our goal will also be to help conserve animal diversity so that we can achieve our sustainability goals.
ZSI was launched in 1916 by Thomas Nelson Annadale with the main objective of inventorying and recording the diversity of animal species - 1 02 161 species (according to animal discoveries in 2019), the equivalent of 6.52 % of all animals in the world.