In order to promote animal wildlife conservation, Dheeraj has been operating a photography and tourism business for several years and arranges leopard safaris in Pali district's Jawai Dam Conservation Reserve. His passion for nature has led to his success as a naturalist at Jawai Dam. Despite initial challenges, he has gained global recognition and has had his photos shown in Bangladesh, Dubai, New York, as well as in India.

For the past eight years, Dheeraj Mali has used wildlife photography to promote animal conservation. He also operates a wildlife tourist business and arranges leopard safaris for visitors to the  Jawai Dam Conservation Reserve in Pali, Rajasthan.

Although Dheeraj is from Pindwara, Rajasthan, he spent his early years living in Mumbai. He attended school in Mumbai. He then completed his B.Sc. in Pindwara. He spent five years as a journalist. However, he could not sustain his interest in the journalism field for long because he was passionate about being among trees and wildlife. He spent a few years studying wildlife animals in order to have an insight of their behaviour. Later, he was given the chance to serve as a Naturalist at Jawai Dam because of the success of his wildlife photographs.

Speaking about his accomplishments, Dheeraj states that his nature photography has recently gained a lot of attention on social media. As a result, he has gained a reputation across the world and has had his photos shown in Bangladesh, Dubai and New York as well as in India, among other places. This was a significant accomplishment for him.

Regarding his inspirations, Dheeraj states that nature is his primary source of motivation. He finds great inspiration in the way nature maintains equilibrium in everything.

Recalling his initial struggles, Dheeraj states that at first, his parents did not encourage him to pursue a profession in wildlife tourism. They had doubts regarding the income opportunities in this sector. Therefore, he found it difficult to persuade them to allow him to pursue his interest. Nevertheless, he persisted in achieving his goal and pursued his profession in spite of everything, and now his family is happy with his contributions and is proud of him.

Dheeraj reflects on his early years and states that he had spent half of them in Mumbai. Later, due to  financial issues with his father's business, he moved to Pindwara. He says he has enjoyed forests, animals, and birds since he was a little child. During his time as a student, he began clicking images of animals, and this sparked his interest in the subject.

He believes that in order to progress in a job, one must have both education and experience. According to him, education has a significant role in the growth of intelligence and in improving one's capacity for critical thought and problem-solving. He goes on to remark that everyone has their first encounter, and that's how a person advances in their job.

Sharing his COVID experience, Dheeraj says he believes the epidemic has brought people back together with their families. According to him, people also learnt to value nature, acknowledge their own abilities, and set aside time for themselves.

He likes to write articles and screenplays for his documentaries in his free time. In addition, he enjoys reading biographies of notable individuals and books of encouragement.

"Duniya mein rehna hai toh kaam kar pyare" is a song from the movie Haathi Mere Saathi that really inspires him.

Advising newcomers, Dheeraj says that it is very difficult to make a profession out of wildlife, so only pursue this area if you are enthusiastic about it. He continues by saying that while it takes time to get an appreciation for woods and animals, doing well in the tourist industry is possible in the long run. In his view, success and progress in life depend greatly on your ability to understand yourself.

He shares that anyone who is interested in going on a safari may make reservations online or go straight to the site. He can be reached on Instagram on @dheerajmaliphotography, and his website, leopardsafarijawai.com. If a visitor wants to come for a holiday, they can select a package that best suits their budget from the options offered. He says that the best time to go on a forest safari for tourists is during the winter. He adds that the leopards here are unique in that they have adapted to coexist peacefully with people.