When most conservationists are worried only about big animals such as tigers and elephants, scientists at the College of Forestry, Sirsi, are trying to rescue a rare endemic tree from going extinct. As of now only about 150 individuals of the tree species (Semecarpus kathlekanensis) have been discovered in the entire world and strangely all of them are in the poorly lit, freshwater swamps of Siddapur region in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. This huge tree, belonging to the mango family, derives its name from its habitat, the Kathlekan (Kathle - dark and Kan- forests). Earlier, the tree was found in large numbers but has now been reduced to about 150 due to indiscriminate felling and draining of Kathlekan swamps for cultivation. The tree has been declared as critically endangered as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature norms.