The long-snouted gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) has been my favourite crocodilian from the moment I saw one at the Madras Crocodile Bank at the age of six. Well, to be specific, there must have been at least ten floating lazily in the brackish water of their enclosure, but it was feeding time, and one particularly ambitious…
The forests of India are alive with the presence of the tiger, whether or not one actually sees this magnificent cat. To the amateur wildlife enthusiast, the cat is a treat to spot at national parks and wildlife reserves. To the seasoned biologist or those who share space with the tiger, it is a ghost.…
In India, where people and wildlife often find themselves on each other's doorstep, the public mindset towards nature can go three ways. It can blossom into a healthy respect and love for our beautiful wildlife, or it can result in a matter-of-fact ambivalence towards our wild neighbours. Occasionally, relations between people and wildlife go sour.…
Today, on the advent of UN World Wildlife Day 2018, join me on a brief journey into the lives of two of India's rare and elusive big cats - the snow leopard and the clouded leopard.
Dive into this post about the world's least-studied canid, the dhole (Asiatic wild dog). Learn about the ecology, behaviour, and threats to the continued survival of this wild dog in an increasingly human-dominated world. Will science and conservation efforts be able to bring this dog back to its former range?
The wolf is perhaps the only terrestrial mammal that has a reputation worldwide, from the Rocky Mountains of North America to the woods of Europe to the tundra to the African highlands and to the scrublands of India. It is also one of the least-loved and most misunderstood creatures with which we inhabit this planet.…
The Malabar whistling thrush is never a moment late. At 5:53, a peculiar, human-like whistle cuts through the still, pre-dawn air, jaunty and cocksure. He sits somewhere hidden in the huge tree in the courtyard at Hulikanu, staking his territory and doubling up as my morning alarm. But I am already awake and pad outside,…
"It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no escape." - Ruskin Bond Much like the enigmatic Ruskin Bond, I find myself returning to the mountains time and time again. This month, my quest for higher ground (and a…
Roads link human settlements...and fragment wildlife habitat. One of the driving forces behind the movement to designate and build wildlife corridors was to avoid the hazards that roads pose towards wildlife. Roads travel through rare and limited habitats and niches, divide territories of large wildlife, and impede the free dispersal of migratory terrestrial species, such as elephants...
The elephant-headed god, Ganesha, is revered and celebrated by Hindus across the world. He is the remover of obstacles, the lord of beginnings and journeys. Yet in the birthplace of Hinduism, the Asian elephant faces rampant, and often disguised, cruelty at the hands of those who profess to value all forms of life as equal…
On Life and Wildlife 