Early life

Salim Ali was born into a Sulaimani Musta'Ali Ismaili (Sulaimani Bohra) Muslim family
of Bombay, the tenth and youngest child. He was orphaned at the age of ten, and brought
up by his maternal uncle, Amiruddin Tyabji, and childless aunt, Hamida Begum, in a
middle-class household in Khetwadi, Mumbai. Another uncle was Abbas Tyabji, well
known Indian freedom fighter. Salim Ali was introduced to the serious study of birds by
W. S. Millard, secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) who helped him
identify an unusually coloured sparrow that he had shot for sport. Millard identified it as
a Yellow-throated Sparrow, and showed him around the Society's collection of stuffed
birds. This was a key event in his life and led to Salim's pursuit of a career in ornithology,
an unusual career choice in those days. Salim Ali's cousin Humayun Abdulali also
became an ornithologist.

Although recognition came late, he received numerous awards, some of which are

• Padma Bhushan (1958)

• Union Medal of the British Ornithologists' Union, a rarity for non-British citizens
(1967)
• The John C. Phillips Medal for Distinguished Service in International
Conservation, from the World Conservation Union (1969)
• Padma Vibhushan (1976)
• J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize of the World Wildlife Fund (1976)
• Commander of the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark (1986) [4]

He was elected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1958. He also received
three honorary doctorates and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1985.

Dr. Salim Ali died in 1987, at the age of 91 after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer
in Mumbai.