Kumar, a conservation scholar-practitioner, grew up surrounded by various wildlife in a village along the Nepal-China border. The pangolin, a mammal whose entire body is covered in scales and has fascinated him since childhood, is said to be “the most poached mammal in the world,” and it appears that poaching and illegal trafficking are carried out using cruel methods.

In 2012, he established Greenhood Nepal, a science-driven conservation nonprofit working to save Nepal’s threatened but neglected wildlife species. Together with team members with academic backgrounds, Greenhood Nepal conducts research on wildlife species, habitats, threats and people living with wildlife, informs resource management plans in collaboration with local communities and governments, and combats illegal wildlife trade, reaching millions of people.

Kumar aims to introduce pangolin conservation programs to Nepal’s six key national parks, curb poaching, and make over a million people aware of the importance of pangolin conservation.