Jane Goodall spent decades showing the world why protecting animals and their habitats matters to humanity.
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protecting → spend → humanity
Now, an 11-year-old conservationist is preparing to carry that message to a younger generation.
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conservationist → prepare → generation
Aneeshwar Kunchala, a UK-based wildlife presenter with family roots in Andhra Pradesh, India, is set to receive the Junior Jane Goodall Earth Medal for his work promoting wildlife conservation and biodiversity.
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Kunchala → base → conservation
According to The South Asia Times, Kunchala's journey began at just four, when he learnt about a whale that had died after ingesting plastic pollution.
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that → accord → pollution
The experience inspired him to raise awareness about the threats facing wildlife.
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experience → inspire → wildlife
The medal was announced by STARMUS, an international festival bringing together science, space exploration, technology, music and the arts.
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medal → announce → science
In a statement issued on October 10, the festival named Aneeshwar as the recipient of the Junior Jane Goodall Earth Medal, recognising his efforts to encourage children to protect the natural world.
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festival → issue → world
The award is scheduled to be presented during STARMUS VIII, taking place in Tenerife and La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands from October 17 to 22, 2026.
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award → schedule → 2026
An incident that changed his perspective
Kunchala's interest in conservation began in his first year at school.
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interest → change → school
In an interview with National Geographic Kids, he recalled how his teacher showed the class a picture of a whale that had died because of plastic pollution.
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that → recall → pollution
He was shocked by the image and the fact that discarded plastic could kill such a large animal.
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plastic → shock → animal
The incident stayed with him and prompted him to think about what he could do to help wildlife.
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he → stay → wildlife
Although he was only four, the experience became the starting point for his efforts to educate others about protecting animals and the environment.
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experience → become → animals
In 2020, Kunchala began filming videos about animals with his father.
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Kunchala → begin → father
Their first video focused on a baby robin in their garden, which he named Regee.
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he → focus → which
The videos gave him an early platform to share his enthusiasm for wildlife and explain why animals and their habitats deserve protection.
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animals → give → protection
Over time, his activities expanded into television, documentary presenting, writing, poetry, art and public speaking.
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activities → expand → television
One of his major milestones came in 2022, when he presented COP27: Six Ways to Save Our Planet, a documentary addressing ways to tackle environmental challenges.
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he → come → challenges
Guinness World Records recognised him as the youngest male documentary presenter for the programme, at seven years and 288 days old.
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Records → recognise → years
He has since appeared in wildlife and educational programming associated with broadcasters including the BBC, Sky Kids and Channel 5.
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He → appear → BBC
His work has also included Go Wild with Steve Backshall, a CBeebies programme in which he learnt about animals, conservation and filmmaking alongside the naturalist and television presenter.
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he → include → naturalist
He has described working with Backshall as one of the most memorable experiences of his career.
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He → describe → career
His achievements extend beyond television.
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achievements → extend → television
Guinness World Records lists three records associated with his work, including youngest male documentary presenter, youngest male newspaper columnist and the most animal sounds identified in one minute by an individual under 16.
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Records → list → 16
In January 2025, he identified 28 different animal sounds in a minute for the latter record.
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he → identify → record
He has also written about endangered animals and used his own drawings and paintings to communicate his interest in nature.
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He → write → nature
In 2024, Kunchala received the Diana Award for his work involving children and wildlife conservation.
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Kunchala → receive → children
He has also been recognised through the British Citizen Youth Award and the Young Scientific Explorer honorary award from the Scientific Exploration Society.
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He → recognise → Society
His other roles include serving as a National Trust ambassador and becoming the first young columnist for National Geographic Kids UK, where he contributes advice on helping wildlife, seasonal nature activities and citizen science projects.
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he → include → wildlife
Following Jane Goodall's conservation legacy
The Junior Jane Goodall Earth Medal connects Kunchala's work with the legacy of the renowned primatologist and conservationist, who devoted her life to studying chimpanzees and advocating for animal welfare and environmental protection.
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who → follow → welfare
The medal recognises efforts to preserve biodiversity and encourage greater responsibility towards life on Earth.
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medal → recognise → Earth
STARMUS established the Junior recognition to celebrate young people whose work reflects the importance of science, environmental stewardship and public engagement.
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work → establish → science
The festival has also announced the Junior Stephen Hawking Medal for Spanish science communicator Valeria Corrales, highlighting two different ways in which young people can bring scientific and environmental ideas to wider audiences.
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people → announce → audiences
Kunchaala's approach combines storytelling with practical encouragement, particularly for children who may feel too young to make a difference.
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who → combine → difference
In a February 2023 interview with Scouts UK, Kunchala summed up his conservation mission with the words, “Please save the animals and make sure the world looks beautiful.”
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world → sum → animals
It reflects the central idea behind his work: that caring about nature can begin with a single experience and grow into sustained efforts to educate others.
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caring → reflect → others
When asked about his hope for the future, he told National Geographic Kids, "My dream is a future where wildlife is safe, valued and able to thrive alongside humans."
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wildlife → ask → humans
The Aporia
