Sarath found his true calling when the Taj Group of Hotels appointed him as the Chief Naturalist for a wildlife resort in Nagarhole in 1996. Later, he became the Chief Naturalist for Jungle Lodges and Resorts, a pioneer in Ecotourism. Sarath has led many prestigious wildlife groups, like the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institute and others.

He is the Founder-President of the Kabini Foundation, an NGO working for wildlife conservation through the local community. Sarath joined the CC Africa-Taj joint venture, Taj Safaris in January 2006 as Chief Naturalist and is currently Associate Director – Conservation at Evolve Back Resorts.