Sangita Iyer

Sangita Iyer is the author of the recently released book, "Gods in Shackles," a National Geographic Explorer, multiple award-winning nature & wildlife filmmaker and broadcast journalist, and a biologist. Nine of the 26 short films of the Asian Elephants 101 series world premiered on multiple National Geographic channels. Iyer also directed and produced the globally acclaimed epic documentary, "Gods in Shackles", which was nominated at the United Nations General Assembly, and has garnered 13 international film festival awards. Iyer received the "Nari Shakthi Puraskaar" - Women Power Award - the highest award for women making a difference in India from the country's President for her courage to expose the plight of captive elephants that are being exploited for profit behind the veil of culture and religion.

During the production of Gods in Shackles film, Iyer was deeply saddened by the plight of Kerala’s festival elephants. She realized that there was a significant lack of awareness regarding the plight of captive elephants, and used Gods in Shackles documentary as an educational tool to empower the people of India, particularly students, who hold the key to the future.

She soon realized that it was also necessary to implement tangible solutions to protect the endangered Asian elephants that were elevated to the status of India's Heritage Animal in 2010. This inspired her to create Voices for Asian Elephants (VFAE) and offer resources to the people of India, to stop capturing and exploiting elephants, and protect their habitat.

Iyer’s deep bond with elephants began when she was around three years old. Her grandparents took her to their family temple in a little village near the District of Palakkad in Kerala, southern India, where she was born and raised. By the age of four her family moved to Mumbai, where she did her schooling and university, but she missed interacting with her soul animals.

After her undergrad degree in B. Sc., Iyer taught in a primary school in Mumbai for a while, followed by a stint as a secondary school teacher in Nairobi, Kenya. She eventually moved to Toronto, Canada, where she went back to school and pursued broadcast journalism, aspiring to educate the masses about nature and wildlife.

Iyer began her journalism career as a news desk assistant at CTV Toronto, then as a video journalist and host at Rogers’ OMNI Television in Toronto. She moved to Bermuda in 2004, where she reported and anchored the primetime news on the island’s ABC/ CBS affiliate, ZBM News.

In 2008, she co-founded Bermuda Environmental Alliance (BEA), a non-profit organization aimed at educating Bermudians on nature and wildlife issues, and providing practical solutions aligned with earth stewardship. Over the years Iyer transitioned into producing nature and wildlife documentaries harnessing the power of sounds and images to communicate in a manner that resonated with people.

Iyer produced a four-part miniseries, Bermuda – Nature’s Jewel for Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet. She also hosted, executive directed and produced a six-part series of the same title, currently being used as an educational aid in Bermuda’s schools. In September 2012 Iyer was one of the few Canadians selected for The Climate Reality Project training by the former US Vice President Al Gore. She has given several lectures on climate change in Canadian schools and universities.